The 61st Precinct’s
top cop talks to us!
Ratsenberg & Associates, P.C.
2579 East 17th Street
Suite 51,
Brooklyn NY, 11235
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Email: info@RRESQ.com
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Deputy Inspector James King oversees a force serving Sheepshead
Bay, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, and Gerritsen
Beach, where just one murder occurred last year, according
to Police Department data. But that statistic will likely
triple in the fi rst month of 2019 alone, following three alleged
murders at an Emmons Avenue restaurant on Jan. 15. Still,
most crime is down in King’s command overall, with an
8.6-percent drop in many complaints between 2018 and 2017.
Much of the area’s decline in crime, according to King, is
due to the precinct’s neighborhood-policing program, which
he instituted last January. He sat down with us to explain
how the program improved the area’s police–community relations
while making it safer at the same time, and more:
crimes, what else has the program
changed?
JK: I’ve met so many more locals
since we debuted a NCO program, and
there hasn’t been one negative comment
from the community about it.
I, and the cops, get to experience real
one-on-ones — members of the community
are comfortable speaking to us
about a wide range of things, whether
crime-related, about quality of life, or
just about how their holidays were. It’s
more personal. And it works.
KD: What is your daily routine like?
JK: I come into work, review the
previous day’s crime statistics, look
over the crime numbers, and check my
e-mails for any community concerns.
Then I confer with my multiple units:
my crime-analysis unit, my specialoperations
unit, which includes the
plain-clothes guys, my lieutenant who
supervises the cops doing our crime
prevention, as well as with my community
affairs offi cers, to see if any
community members have brought
any concerns to them. Once we go
over that, we put together a plan to address
whatever concerns or complaints
we took for the day.
KD: You came to the 61 after serving
at Coney Island’s 60th Precinct.
How are the two different?
JK: A lot of the interaction in Coney
Island is visitors, because of the Boardwalk,
things of that nature. Overall,
the 61 is very residential. But we have
our busy shopping areas — Kings Highway,
Avenue U — and we have our visitors
with Manhattan Beach, so that’s
very busy over the summer.
KD: Superstorm Sandy hit parts of
your neighborhoods hard. How is the 61
prepared to respond to future storms?
JK: We have two boats at the ready
to help anyone who might be caught
in water. We also have a large Zodiac
truck which transports infl atable Zodiac
boats, meant for the south end of
the precinct, specifi cally Manhattan
Beach, which was affected by Sandy.
We have cops that are trained to use the
boats with special equipment.
KD: The area is home to a lot of
high-traffi c thoroughfares, such as
Gerritsen Avenue, where some calming
measures have been implemented.
Does traffi c continue to be a big issue?
JK: It’s always a concern. We have
Coney Island Avenue, Ocean Parkway,
Ocean Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, Bedford
Avenue, Gerritsen Avenue, Avenue
U, Kings Highway, McDonald Avenue
— all major thoroughfares. Double
parking is the complaint we get most
frequently. We have cops addressing
that every day, at all times.
KD: What do you like about working
in the 61?
JK: I love the residents. I’ve gotten
to know many of them on a personal
basis. There are great moments,
there are sad moments — like at the
restaurant the other day . But overall,
it’s very rewarding knowing that I get
to protect the residents of the 61st Precinct.
—Kevin Duggan
Kevin Duggan: What would you
say to those in the community still
reeling over the alleged triple homicide
on Emmons Avenue?
James King: It’s an isolated incident.
I really can’t comment further on
it at this time, because it’s still an ongoing
investigation. But I assure you
they are safe.
KD: Why do you think most of your
crime statistics improved over the last
year?
JK: I couldn’t have done it without
the men and women that are out there
every single day. I put a plan in place,
but they executed, and that’s the most
important part, the execution. We had
a drop in robberies, felony assaults,
grand larcenies, and stolen vehicles.
KD: Tell me more about that plan
you put in place.
JK: In January 2018, we introduced
the Neighborhood Coordination Offi -
cers program, which really connects
the cops and the community. They can
listen to concerns on a more personal
basis, rather than residents just calling
911, or waiting for a monthly Community
Council meeting.
KD: Other than the drop in most
IN COMMAND: Deputy Inspector James King
at his desk inside the 61st Precinct station
house. Photo by Steve Solomonson
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