The First Precinct Community Council

NYPD promotions in Lower Manhattan

Anthony M. Carter and Mark A. Iocco. Photo credit: Carl Glassman

With its millions of tourists, rapidly growing residential population, narrow streets, government offices and strategically important financial and communications hubs, Lower Manhattan must present numerous challenges for the New York Police Department. On June 24, Police Commissioner William Bratton acknowledged a job well done by promoting two of Lower Manhattan’s commanding officers to deputy inspectors. He bestowed the honor on Anthony M. Carter, Commanding Officer of Transit District 2, and on Mark A. Iocco, Commanding Officer of the 1st Precinct.

D.I. Iocco joined the NYPD in July 1996. Subsequently, he was assigned to several different commands as he moved through the ranks, including the 52nd Precinct, Midtown North Precinct, 9th Precinct, and 5th Precinct. He became the commanding officer of the 1st Precinct in March 2015.

D.I. Carter joined the NYPD in February 1994. He has been assigned to the 68th Precinct, 73rd Precinct, 71st Precinct, 66th Precinct, Traffic Control District, and most recently became Commanding Officer of Transit District 2 in September 2013. Transit District 2 falls under the Transit Bureau organizationally and is responsible for protecting and serving the subway riders of much of Lower Manhattan.

The 1st Precinct is headquartered at 16 Ericsson Place. On the last Thursday of each month (except for July and August), a Community Council meets with the commanding officers to hear their reports on crime statistics and incidents and to ask questions. Elizabeth Williams, a courtroom artist who has been active with the Community Council, put the Iocco and Carter promotions in perspective when she said, “This is huge news for the Precinct Council because both commanders who we cover are being promoted at the same time. In the almost nine years that I have been involved in the Council, I have never have seen that.”

Chief of Transit Joseph Fox, who attended the promotion ceremony, said, “It’s great to know that our local commanders and officers have such strong relationships with neighborhood residents and commuters, as well as with the members of the 1st Precinct Community Council. The Council plays an incredibly important role in supporting our mission of service, and advancing the relationship between the police and the community.”

Anthony Notaro, the newly elected chairperson of Community Board 1, heads the 1st Precinct Community Council. All are welcome to attend its meetings, which start at 6:30 p.m.

– Terese Loeb Kreuzer

1st Precinct and Transit District 2 National Night Out 2014 in Battery Park City

Set against the sunset over the Hudson, local organizations and officials joined the community to honor Lower Manhattan’s cops at the First Precinct’s National Night Out Against Crime in Battery Park City on Tuesday, August 5th.

Read the full Downtown Express article

School Crossing Guard Job Opportunity

The New York City Police Department is seeking your assistance in the recruitment efforts of School Crossing Guards. The Department currently has vacancies to fill. The job description is as follows:

Duties and Responsibilities

Under general supervision, directs pedestrian and vehicular traffic at an assigned school crossing; performs related work.

Examples of Typical Tasks

Regulates traffic, in accordance with traffic lights, at an assigned school crossing to permit safe crossing of elementary school children and other pedestrians during specified morning, noon and afternoon periods. Stops vehicular traffic to permit safe crossing if there are no traffic lights, or if the traffic lights are defective, at the assigned school crossing. Notifies supervisor of defective traffic lights or signs. Reports incidents of traffic violations at assigned location.

There are no formal requirements of education or experience, however all candidates must be able to understand and be understood in English. Prospective candidates must pass a qualifying medical examination and a character investigation. School Crossing Guards work five (5) hours per day for a maximum of 25 hours per week. Schedules may vary by the school but generally are from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The starting rate of pay is $9.88/ hour. Every effort is made to assign guards to a school crossing within the confines of the resident precinct or a neighboring precinct. School Crossing Guards are eligible to enroll in a City-sponsored health insurance program if they work twenty (20) hours a week on a steady basis.

Attached you will find a School Crossing Guard application. Interested parties shall submit applications at any police precinct.

Robberies in the NYC subways fell 22 percent last year

Decoy operations helped reduce the number of robberies in the subway system by 22% last year, the NYPD’s top transit cop told the MTA board Monday.

Electronic devices were a popular target for subway muggers and pick pocketers, making up 54% of stolen property in all robberies and grand larcenies.

“Clearly, our decoy operations were critical to reducing these electronic thefts,” Joe Fox said, adding the NYPD will “continue to use decoy operations frequently as part of our broader strategy to reduce theft of electronic devices.”

Read the rest of the amNewYork article

Rescue on Rector: Emotionally Distraught Man Saved by Police

From The Broadsheet Daily:

On Friday afternoon, as much of the nation was gripped with heartbreak and shock at the story of a madman and the horror he perpetrated in a Connecticut town, a smaller — but in some ways similar — drama reached a less gruesome conclusion in Battery Park City. Shortly before 1:00 pm, an emotionally disturbed man climbed onto the metal roof of the Rector Place pedestrian bridge, began waving a knife, and shouting to passersby that he was going to jump into the traffic passing beneath him on West Street.

Several police cars from the New York Police Department’s First Precinct responded within minutes to multiple 911 calls. They immediately cordoned off both ends of the bridge and began to stop the six lanes of traffic speeding beneath the bridge. These officers also called for additional, specialized help: crews from the NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit (ESU) and ambulances from the Fire Department. In the several minutes that it took these reinforcements to arrive, the man (whose name has not been released) became increasingly agitated, approached the edge of the bridge several times, and began to stab at his wrists and throat with the knife he was brandishing.

Read the full article online.