12 MARCH 9 - MARCH 15, 2018 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
72nd Precinct commander to partake in NYPD
Boxing Championship for Puerto Rico relief
New CO for 68 as Hayward heads to Coney
BY HELEN KLEIN
HKLEIN@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Two years to the day after he
arrived at the 68th Precinct,
now-Deputy Inspector Joseph
Hayward is on the move again
— heading to Coney Island where
he will take the helm of the 60th
Precinct.
Replacing him will be Captain
Robert Conwell, who is moving over
from the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush,
where he served as executive
officer.
Hayward will replace Deputy Inspector
William Taylor at the 60th
Precinct. Taylor — who previously
led the 62nd Precinct in Bensonhurst
— is being transferred to the
Queens narcotics squad. Hayward
had been the executive officer at the
60th Precinct prior to assuming the
command of the 68th Precinct.
“In my two years as the commanding
officer in the 68th Precinct, the
officers were deployed to combat
narcotics,” Hayward told this paper.
“That enforcement led to an 11
percent decrease in crime in 2016, a
four percent decrease in 2017, and
2018 has also started with a dramatic
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Helen Klein
Deputy Inspector Joseph Hayward with 68th Precinct
Community Council President David Ryan, second from
left, and council executive board members George Samara,
Kate Cucco, Linda Lupia and Ilene Sacco, the former council
president, who had presented him at the group’s February
meeting with a symbol of his recent promotion, a plaque for
his desk with his name and new title emblazoned on it.
reduction in crime.
“The cops worked hard to educate
the community about opium addiction,
which also contributed to the
reduction,” he went on.
“I am sad to leave but I know I am
leaving with great friends in this
community and I know I made a
difference,” he concluded. “The cops
and community working hand-inhand
in the 68th Precinct could be a
role model for the whole city.”
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
A Sunset Park cop — the commanding
officer of the 72nd
Precinct — will head to the
ring in the name of charity.
On Thursday, March 15 at 7 p.m.,
Deputy Inspector Emmanuel Gonzalez
will participate in the NYPD Boxing
Championships at the Theater at Madison
Square Garden. During the event,
dozens of matches between officers will
take place, with each match contributing
to a charity of the contenders’ choice.
Gonzalez will go toe to toe with Police
Officer Richie Fuentes, also a member
of the precinct, in a smoker match,
a term often used in the NYPD bouts,
with the money they raise destined to
aid the Puerto Rico relief effort.
“We fought once before,” said Gonzalez.
“The NYPD boxing team puts this
together every year. The cops love it.
We did it once before in Coney Island
and it was fun."
The fights consist of three rounds of
about 90 seconds each.
The Puerto Rico relief effort in the
wake of Hurricane Maria is near to
Gonzalez’s heart.
Following the devastation that left
over three million residents of Puerto
Rico without power and electricity,
he traveled to Puerto Rico with other
people from local organizations to
observe the destruction firsthand.
He was on the island from Thursday,
October 5 through Sunday, October
15, and was shocked and saddened by
what he saw.
“It was a humbling experience,” he
said following his trip. “We went
straight into the mountainous areas
and there were people just waiting
to be helped by some type of government
official, any type of government
official.”
The group went to a refugee center
in Isabela. “It was heartbreaking to
see,” Gonzalez elaborated. “For example,
we saw an eight-year-old kid with
multiple issues. He weighs 25 pounds
and is on a ventilator. Also, a 28-yearold
was relying on life support from
a faulty generator. Everyone that saw
this generator said it is going to die,
and when it dies, he dies. The situation
was overwhelming.”
Besides the charity component,
Gonzalez thinks the boxing matches
are beneficial to the individuals who
participate in different ways.
“It encourages us to stay healthy
and fit within the Police Department,”
he explained. “It’s also good for morale.
It makes the cops happy that the
commanding officers participate in
these things and happy cops mean
a happy community. In my opinion,
that good morale within the station
house translates to better community
relations.”
Fighting in the same building that
has hosted classic events, Gonzalez has
been taking the bout seriously. “I’ve
been training. I’m 50 years old so it’s
pretty hard,” he said. “I’ve been doing
the treadmill and a lot of cardio. It’s a big
deal. All the chief commissioners will
be there. Police Commissioner James
O'Neill is supposed to be there as well."
Regardless of the outcome, Gonzalez
is looking forward to the day.
“I’m just going to do my best," he said.
For more information, visit http://
bit.ly/NYPDTMSG or NYPD Boxing
on Facebook.
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photo
Deputy Inspector Emmanuel Gonzalez will partake in the NYPD
Boxing Championship with the money he raises going toward
Puerto Rico relief efforts.