Post by Critique on Jan 5, 2007 18:45:28 GMT -5
(Please Ignore Beatings, Rapes, Killings, Drug Dealing, Robberies, etc. By New York City Police Officers)
12/06/2006
By Stephen Witt
In the wake of the Queens shooting in which one man was killed in a hail of 50 police bullets, City Councilmember Kendall Stewart last week called a meeting between Brooklyn South’s top police brass and local community leaders, residents and clergy.
The meeting was held at the Tabernacle of Praise Church, 1098 Utica Avenue. According to Stewart, the media was not invited in order to avoid anybody riling things up through grandstanding.
Among the police brass in attendance were Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Commanding Officer Joseph Fox, Inspector Tom Harris, the commanding officer of the 70th Precinct and Inspector William Aubry, the commanding officer of the 67th Precinct.
“We feel anytime these incidents take place, let’s learn from them and let our leaders and police know how to communicate with one another. We have to look at cultural differences and see if we can bridge the gap in understanding one another,” said Stewart.
“There will always be mistakes. We cannot legislate humility. We cannot legislate professionalism and courtesy, and those are things that make a community better,” he added.
Stewart said the meeting, among other things, let local residents know that should an incident take place the facts are looked at first and the local leadership and police communicate with each other.
“Just because an incident took place doesn’t mean we should lose trust in our police system,” said Stewart.
“No matter how you look at it, the police need us and we need the police, and although some police might be not trained properly or have some problems with other ethnicities, you can’t condemn the entire police force for an incident like this,” he added.
Stewart it is important to look at the Queens incident and come up with ways it can be prevented from happening again.
“We’re not into fanning the flames. We are into educating the police and constituents and the leaders,” said Stewart.
“In general, what one has to do is focus on the concept of the solution rather than the concept of the problem,” he said.
Lt. James Woods, of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South community affairs, said Fox helped facilitate the meeting with Stewart and it was a meeting with “no edge.”
Elected officials, police, religious leaders, parents and children in attendance spoke about some preventive measures that can be taken to make police and community relations more harmonious in Brooklyn South, said Woods.
“We also talked about protocol -- what young people can expect to be asked about when being approached by police and, vice versa, what police can ask and what they can do when they do questioning,” said Woods.
“There was genuine concern and meaningful information by everyone in attendance,” he added.
Woods said that although the meeting was timely, it could be meaningful anytime and that it reflects Fox’s philosophy that the community and police do a lot of interacting to understand each other’s concerns.
“We put forth effort and the community reciprocates and that’s what we want people to tell us when there’s an issue,” said Woods. “People are pretty free to tell us what’s on their mind and that’s the way it should be.”
Woods and others also praised Harris and Aubry as outstanding commanders of their respective precincts, who are both proactive and aggressive in fighting crime, but also strong communicators with the community.
Ed Powell, the 70th Precinct Community Council president, said he was impressed with State Sen. John Sampson’s speech of how solutions begin with a healthy family structure and then people become involved in their community.
“It begins with the nuclear family and extends out into the community,” said Powell. “The bad cops are more apt to do something if the community family isn’t together, and also the criminal finds more opportunity.”
Community Board 17 Chair Lloyd Mills said it was a good meeting in that everyone was able to meet Chief Fox and his commanding officers, and residents were able to share their concerns, ask questions and get them answered.
“The police have to play a part and we as citizens have to play a part. It’s a partnership and we have to work together,” said Mills.
“How police approach individuals is very important. A bad approach can start a riot in a church and a good approach can prevent one,” he added.
www.courierlife.net/site/news.cfm?newsid=17559653&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=560114&rfi=6
12/06/2006
By Stephen Witt
In the wake of the Queens shooting in which one man was killed in a hail of 50 police bullets, City Councilmember Kendall Stewart last week called a meeting between Brooklyn South’s top police brass and local community leaders, residents and clergy.
The meeting was held at the Tabernacle of Praise Church, 1098 Utica Avenue. According to Stewart, the media was not invited in order to avoid anybody riling things up through grandstanding.
Among the police brass in attendance were Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Commanding Officer Joseph Fox, Inspector Tom Harris, the commanding officer of the 70th Precinct and Inspector William Aubry, the commanding officer of the 67th Precinct.
“We feel anytime these incidents take place, let’s learn from them and let our leaders and police know how to communicate with one another. We have to look at cultural differences and see if we can bridge the gap in understanding one another,” said Stewart.
“There will always be mistakes. We cannot legislate humility. We cannot legislate professionalism and courtesy, and those are things that make a community better,” he added.
Stewart said the meeting, among other things, let local residents know that should an incident take place the facts are looked at first and the local leadership and police communicate with each other.
“Just because an incident took place doesn’t mean we should lose trust in our police system,” said Stewart.
“No matter how you look at it, the police need us and we need the police, and although some police might be not trained properly or have some problems with other ethnicities, you can’t condemn the entire police force for an incident like this,” he added.
Stewart it is important to look at the Queens incident and come up with ways it can be prevented from happening again.
“We’re not into fanning the flames. We are into educating the police and constituents and the leaders,” said Stewart.
“In general, what one has to do is focus on the concept of the solution rather than the concept of the problem,” he said.
Lt. James Woods, of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South community affairs, said Fox helped facilitate the meeting with Stewart and it was a meeting with “no edge.”
Elected officials, police, religious leaders, parents and children in attendance spoke about some preventive measures that can be taken to make police and community relations more harmonious in Brooklyn South, said Woods.
“We also talked about protocol -- what young people can expect to be asked about when being approached by police and, vice versa, what police can ask and what they can do when they do questioning,” said Woods.
“There was genuine concern and meaningful information by everyone in attendance,” he added.
Woods said that although the meeting was timely, it could be meaningful anytime and that it reflects Fox’s philosophy that the community and police do a lot of interacting to understand each other’s concerns.
“We put forth effort and the community reciprocates and that’s what we want people to tell us when there’s an issue,” said Woods. “People are pretty free to tell us what’s on their mind and that’s the way it should be.”
Woods and others also praised Harris and Aubry as outstanding commanders of their respective precincts, who are both proactive and aggressive in fighting crime, but also strong communicators with the community.
Ed Powell, the 70th Precinct Community Council president, said he was impressed with State Sen. John Sampson’s speech of how solutions begin with a healthy family structure and then people become involved in their community.
“It begins with the nuclear family and extends out into the community,” said Powell. “The bad cops are more apt to do something if the community family isn’t together, and also the criminal finds more opportunity.”
Community Board 17 Chair Lloyd Mills said it was a good meeting in that everyone was able to meet Chief Fox and his commanding officers, and residents were able to share their concerns, ask questions and get them answered.
“The police have to play a part and we as citizens have to play a part. It’s a partnership and we have to work together,” said Mills.
“How police approach individuals is very important. A bad approach can start a riot in a church and a good approach can prevent one,” he added.
www.courierlife.net/site/news.cfm?newsid=17559653&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=560114&rfi=6