Members of the Brooklyn South Narcotics Unit came in for special thanks during the September meeting of the 70th Precinct Community Council.
The officers took center stage because of their effectiveness in combating drug transactions in the neighborhood through Operation Spinal Tap, which targeted the area around East 21st Street over the course of 25 months.
Undercover officers had made 171 drug purchases on the street, leading to 75 arrests of drug dealers and drug users, over the past two or three months, said Deputy Inspector Ralph Monteforte, the commanding officer of the 70th Precinct, when presenting the awards.
The certificates were awarded to Detective Agapito “Junior” Soler and Detective Hector Rodriguez, as well as an undercover officer who, for reasons of safety, was unnamed. Also acknowledged were Captain Tom Pascal, Lieutenant Larry Burnham and Lieutenant Caroline Roe.
The efforts of the narcotics unit can be seen in the crime reductions that the precinct has had, said Monteforte. “They go out in plain clothes, conduct operations and take drug dealers and buyers off the street,” he told the group, stressing, “That’s a very dangerous job.”
The area around East 21st Street, between Foster and Woodruff Avenues, is “one of the worst blocks in our community,” Monteforte stressed.
Pascal, for his part, told members of the community council that the narcotics officers had amassed six binders full of information. A key, he said, is having sufficient evidence that the defense attorney “accepts a plea” for the accused. And, if not, “We have to make sure we have enough evidence to put these guys away.”
–Helen Klein
