UPPER WEST SIDE — The officer who handed out the highest number of tickets to cyclists in the entire city over the past three years got official recognition from his bosses Wednesday.
But Officer Joshua Vincek of the Upper West Side's 20th Precinct hasn't only been chasing errant bikers.
He also worked to catch a would-be kidnapper who grabbed a 2-year-old boy at a Central Park playground but fled empty-handed on May 12, said Capt. Michael Falcon, the precinct's commanding officer. Vincek helped arrest the woman on May 20, Falcon confirmed.
An 11-year NYPD veteran whose job is to address quality-of-life issues, Vincek handed out 1,249 tickets to cyclists between Jan. 1, 2012 and Feb. 26, 2015.
At a ceremony Wednesday, he was given a "challenge coin" by Chief Thomas Chan, who heads the NYPD's Transportation Bureau, Falcon said.
The coin recognizes Vincek's police work on behalf of Vision Zero, the city's initiative to reduce pedestrian, cyclist and motorist deaths to none, Chan tweeted.
Thanking @NYPD20Pct Officer Vincek for his dedication & commitment to community concerns & #VisionZero. #UWS pic.twitter.com/JHM79Fbsv9
— Chief Thomas M. Chan (@NYPDTransport) July 8, 2015The 20th Precinct Community Council, a volunteer body of local residents that serve as a liaison to the police, was impressed with his work quickly tracking down the Heckscher Playground kidnapper this spring.
He was given an award and commended by the council at a recent meeting, Falcon said.
While many people said they supported Vincek's efforts — even calling him a "hero" — not everyone shared that sentiment. Some thought he unfairly targeted cyclists and his time could be better spent going after motorists.
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