One cop comes from Marine Park while his partner hails from Bedford-Stuyvesant. The two share a love of old-school hip-hop music and fighting to keep the borough’s streets safe.
And for the latter, police officers Joe Longo and Olive Houston were awarded “Cop of the Month” certificates at the recent 60th Precinct Community Council meeting.
The incident unfolded at about 3:10 p.m., Jan. 29, when Longo and Houston, both members of the precinct’s plainclothes anti-crime team, were keeping their eyes peeled and ears open for a young male perpetrator that had been preying on elderly and Asian residents and stealing mainly their cell phones.
The two were near the Marlboro Houses when they pulled a car over for a traffic infraction. The driver fled with Longo and Houston on his tail.
During the ensuing chase, the perpetrator ditched his hat and sweatshirt inside one of the buildings and then ran towards the rear of another building where he was apprehended.
After making the collar, Longo and Houston found in the perpetrator’s possession some of the stolen property including a victim’s SIM card.
The bust closed out a pattern of robberies, said Inspector Robert Johnsen.
For Longo, joining the NYPD is a family tradition as his father is a detective in Manhattan South.
“I always liked seeing him in uniform and he always had plenty of stories,” recalled Longo, adding that his favorite thing about being a cop is that it is different every day and never routine.
For Houston, a four-year veteran of the NYPD, it was her second “Cop of the Month” certificate in the past six months.
“I’m the first in my family to go into policing,” she said. “I like it because it’s intense and keeps my blood flowing.”
Also being honored at the meeting were two civilians — Bishop Waylyn Hobbs, a former 60th Precinct Community Council President and senior pastor of the Coney Island Cathedral, 2816 Mermaid Avenue, and Boris Talis, a Russian immigrant.
Johnsen said that Hobbs is a loyal member of the community in good and bad times, and that Talis serves as strong conduit between police and the large Russian-American community in the area.
The 60th Precinct protects residents in Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Seagate.
