19 BRONX WEEKLY February 3, 2019 www.BXTimes.com
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and community get along in
the precinct.
“One of the positive aspects
of the 45th Precinct is
that there is strong policecommunity
relations,” said
Fraser. “I am sure that Inspector
Ghonz and the police
offi cers have already
built strong relationships.”
In terms of crime fi ghting,
one of the areas the
captain plans on focusing
on is Grand Larceny, particularly
from retail locations,
he said, adding for example
that $40,000 worth of
merchandise was shoplifted
from one location over the
past week.
“Keeping people safe is
the number one priority, but
I be will tackling the larceny
issue with the greatest
of efforts,” said Fraser.
Fraser said that his philosophy
of policing comes
down to focusing on the
‘front line’ police offi cers,
who are building relationships
with the community
and fi ghting crime.
The captain added that
he would use every technological
advantage available.
This includes the use
of social media as both a
means of disseminating information
to the public and
as a way of gathering information,
he said, adding that
facial recognition software
has also grown in effectiveness
and is a useful crimefi
ghting tool.
“I plan on utilizing the
latest technology to prevent
crime and improve the
quality of life for the people
of the 45th Precinct,” said
Fraser.
Fraser was in the police
academy when the September
11th attacks took place,
he said, adding that he was
part of a police academy
class that spent months directing
traffi c and performing
other support tasks
near Ground Zero, and that
the experience had a last effect
on him.
Fraser said he spent his
fi rst fi ve and a half years in
the NYPD as a patrol cop in
Staten Island’s 120th Precinct,
along its northern
shore.
When he was promoted
to sergeant, he spent six
years in Brooklyn housing
projects, he said.
Then came a stint as
platoon commander in 71st
Precinct in Crown Heights,
Brooklyn, where he performed
many personnel and
administrative tasks, he
said.
He was also part of a
NYPD School Safety task
force that supplemented the
work of school safety offi -
cers and built relationships
with administrators and
students.
Fraser, who grew up in
New Jersey, said that he is a
big Seattle Seahawks fan, a
love affair that began when
he lived in Washington for
fi ve years during his youth
when his father’s work took
him there, he said.
He is a graduate of FBI
National Academy for law
enforcement professionals
in Virginia.
(L-r) Student Daniela Hernandez and English teacher Michelle Esposito.
Preston teams up
with Stone Barns
Stone Barns Center will
be working closely with
Preston English teacher,
Michelle Esposito as she begins
to pilot the SBC’s new
curriculum on food-related
issues (e.g., healthy eating
habits, food insecurity, food
justice, etc.).
Esposito began introducing
some of the topics to her
AP English Language class
last year. Over the summer
Unilever (which is a sponsor
of SBC’s educational efforts)
sent a media company
to Preston to interview her
and some of her students
about the initiative, what
the students learned about
food-related issues, and
what their thoughts were
about the curriculum.
They were unanimous,
stating they found the lessons
both interesting and
challenging. Senior Daniela
Hernandez stated that
she has was surprised to
learn of the food injustice
and inequality occurring
in her own neighborhood
and is excited to do more to
make a change in her community.
Stone Barns, through a
grant they have received,
will be providing Preston
and their other partner
schools with a kitchenclassroom
set-up (pots,
pans, utensils, hotplates,
etc.) in order to continue
the hands-on learning approach.
Through this Stone
Barns curriculum, Preston
can exercise compassion
from a unique lens.
Esposito shared that by
asking students to focus
on the often overlooked aspects
of our food: where it
grows, who toils to grow it,
who gets to consume it, and
how it impacts our present
and future environment,
our young women will notice
these crucial details,
and will grow more mindful
and empathetic and,
of course, empower themselves
to become agents of
change.
New 45th Precinct CO
announced; Capt. Ghonz
to lead 42nd Precinct
Keeping
people safe is
the number
one priority,
but I will be
tackling the
larceny issue
with the
greatest of
efforts.
Thomas Fraser
Captain, 45th Precinct
Photo courtesy of NYPD
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