Dozens of new — but experienced – officers are flooding the streets of Brooklyn South.
Officials said that the cops, who have already cut their teeth on the streets of impact zones throughout the city over the last year, began their new assignments in area precincts early last week.
In turn, the 1,013 cadets who graduated from the Police Academy on July 2 were deployed to the impact zones to replace the officers leaving these areas, where a show of NYPD manpower is bringing down crime.
Seventy-two of those graduates received marching orders to the 70th Precinct in Flatbush to patrol an Impact Zone in the northeastern part of the command around Flatbush Avenue, Church Avenue and Beverley Road.
“We have quite a few guys from the military and a few guys who live in Brooklyn,” said Deputy Inspector Ralph Monteforte, the commanding officer of the 70th Precinct. “You can see their energy, they want to go out there and help the community.”
NYPD officials would not disclose just how many new officers were dispatched to Brooklyn South’s 13 precincts, although sources said that the number could be around 200.
Officials said that crime statistics and precinct staffing levels dictated how many cops landed in each command.
The 68th Precinct in Bay Ridge, for example, received 12 former impact cops. The 69th Precinct in Canarsie received about eight.
“[The new officers] are going to be a big help to us,” explained Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriguez, who leads the officers in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights from the 68th Precinct on 65th Street. “You’ll be seeing them on posts and patrolling target areas where we believe their presence is going to bring down crime.”
“These 12 are very diverse and are very representative of the cultures and nationalities that we have in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, which will help us when it comes to outreach.”
Officials said that the academy class that just graduated is probably the most diverse the city has ever seen.
Approximately 30 percent of the graduates are Hispanic, 14 percent are black, five percent are Asian and 49 percent are white. Seventeen percent of the 1,013 graduates are female.
They’re probably the most educated as well, with 328 of the graduates having received four-year college degrees. Two hundred and fifty of the graduates have associate’s degrees.
One hundred and fifty graduates served in the military.
“It’s very exciting to see new officers embarking on their careers,” said Chief Joseph Fox, the commanding officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, “They’re very excited and proud to be here.”
Last week, Chief Fox led a special Patrol Borough Brooklyn South orientation for the officers as they began their careers in Brooklyn.
“The biggest piece of advice I gave them was that they should always remember that they have an incredible power and ability to do good for the people of this borough. They can change people and touch them in a way that no one else can,” he recalled. “At the same time they have the capability to do the exact opposite.”
“There is no other position that has that kind of power,” he said. “That’s why they can make a world of difference right on their foot post.”
