Local law enforcement officers saluted members of the public who went above and beyond to aid the police and and the neighborhood in which they live.
At the 70th Precinct Community Council’s September meeting, held at Belsky House, 140 Lawrence Avenue, Deputy Inspector Ralph Monteforte, the precinct’s commanding officer, and Ed Powell, the community council president, presented James Donofrio, the owner of Blair Mazzarella Funeral Home, at 723 Coney Island Avenue, and Gus Caracappa, the funeral director, with a certificate in recognition of help they have given to community members in need.
Recently, said Powell, the funeral home helped mount a funeral for a small child who had fallen out a window, whose parents could not afford it. While the precinct’s community affairs officers had started a collection to help pay for the ceremony, Powell said, they did not raise enough money, “so they went to these two gentlemen and asked them to help,” and they took care of the whole funeral and the burial.
“Words just can’t express how appreciative I am for all that they’ve done for this precinct and people who live within this precinct,” Powell emphasized.
This is not the first time they have done something like that, Powell added. “They are wonderful, wonderful people,” he told the group.
Monteforte also presented local activist Joe Basso with a certificate marking his efforts on behalf of the precinct’s officers. “He’s always here for the precinct,” noted Monteforte. For National Night Out, the deputy inspector recalled, Basso had spent the entire day cooking.
