Guide to Neighborhood Policing in the 34th Precinct

(Updated June 26, 2016) The 34th Precinct was one of four selected to pilot the NYPD’s new neighborhood policing model. Since May 18, 2015, police officers in the 34th Precinct are assigned to specific neighborhood sectors every day and expected to be “active problem solvers” instead of spending entire shifts running from call to call or assigned to specific tactical units spread out over a large area. It is a return to the “generalist” cop on a beat, supported with modern technology, better training, and additional resources to tap when warranted, according to Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Chief of Department James O’Neill, who announced the program in Inwood in June. (For details about the program and how it works, go to the NYPD website.)

Neighborhood Coordinating Officers
Each of the four sectors of the 34th Precinct has two dedicated Neighborhood Coordinating Officers (NCOs) and several “steady sector” patrol officers. The NCOs are the officers who meet with members of the community on a regular basis, and identify and follow-up on trends or neighborhood concerns. An interactive map of the sectors is available on the Precinct Council website at http://bit.ly/34PCTMAP.

map of the 34th Precinct sectors.
Click on this image for an interactive map of the 34th Precinct sectors.

Each NCO has dedicated time during which they review 911 and 311 records and other information to identify and address trends or emerging problems and to meet with residents and businesses in their sectors. This is a big change from before, when officers were assigned to go directly from one call for service to another, throughout a full shift. The NCOs continue to serve as patrol officers and respond to service calls in their sector.

The NCOs have NYPD-issued smartphones and can be reached by email, phone call, or text messages. Email should be the primary means of communicating with the NCOs, according to Dep. Insp. Chris Morello, who was commanding officer of the precinct from the program’s implementation in May 2015 until Feb. 29, 2016. This makes it easier for NCOs to share information with others in the department. When you meet your NCOs, you can ask for their mobile phone numbers.

Steady Sector Officers
In addition to the NCOs, each sector now has dedicated police on patrol.  Sector cars do not leave their sector unless there is a major incident or other unusual activity elsewhere in the precinct. These are the cops who respond to 911 or other calls and get to know the people on each street. Since the program began in May 2015, this return to beat cops has helped identify criminal suspects, returned dogs to their owners, and connected families with services that help prevent crime or other larger problems.

Who do you call?
Call 911 anytime you see any crime in progress or other immediate threat to life or property. The dispatchers are trained to determine the priority of a call. Anytime an immediate response is required, 911 is the fastest way to get it. This is how NYPD has been able to make recent arrests for burglaries, graffiti-tagging and other crimes from minor to major. Also call 911 to report crimes that you discover after they are done, such as car break-ins or burglaries. (The response for these police report calls will be given a lower priority than crimes in-progress.)

Call 311 or use the 311 smartphone app for noise complaints, parking violations, hazards such as fallen tree branches, litter, lighting, etc.

Email or call your NCO to call attention to ongoing issues, such as recurring noise from a business, suspected criminal activity on your street, traffic hazards, etc. Do not call the NCOs to request an emergency response. Like the steady sector officers, the NCOs will not answer calls or emails when they are off-duty. Also, they get a high volume of emails, so you may not always get a direct response. Email is the preferred form of contact.

Contact information for NCOs

Supervisor: Sgt. Juan Terrero juan.terrero@nypd.org

Sector A (north of w. 179th Street to Dyckman Street, east of Broadway to the Harlem River)

Officer Edwin Rodriguez edwin.rodriguez2@nypd.org

Det. Thomas Troppmann thomas.troppmann@nypd.org

Sector B (north of w. 179th Street to Riverside Drive, west of Broadway to the Hudson River)

Officer Bryan Polster bryan.polster@nypd.org

Officer Kiesha Lawhorne kiesha.lawhorne@nypd.org

Sector C (east side of Broadway from Fairview Ave. to Sherman Ave., north until w. 207th  Street and east to the Harlem River)

Det. Fabio Nunez fabio.nunez@nypd.org

Officer Peter Johnson peter.johnson@nypd.org

Sector D (Broadway and Sherman Ave., north to the Bronx, and everything north of 207th St.)

Officer Francisco Guzman francisco.guzman@nypd.org

Officer Elvis Delacruz elvis.delacruz2@nypd.org

 

For more information, visit 34pctcouncil.nyc.

Prepared by the 34th Precinct Community Council based on information provided by NYPD and verified at the time of publication, August 10, 2015. It is subject to change without notice. The Precinct Council and its officers are not liable for any consequences that arise from actions taken solely in reliance on this information. Updated June 26, 2016.

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