BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Changes in police-community relations are on their way to eastern Bedford-Stuyvesant with a new program, according to one commanding officer.
The NYPD’s latest policing initiative comes to the 81st Precinct this winter, Deputy Inspector Scott Henderson announced at a precinct council meeting Tuesday.
“We’re changing the way we patrol: there’s going to be a lot more police officers on foot interacting with the communities,” Henderson said to applause from residents.
The 81st Precinct, which covers the neighborhood from Marcus Garvey Boulevard to Saratoga Avenue and Broadway to Atlantic Avenue, will be split into four sectors starting January 2016. The specific blocks in each area are yet to be determined, Henderson said.
Two designated “neighborhood community officers” will be assigned to cover each sector and get to know the residents.
The changeover is part of a citywide transition in policing, launched earlier this year in Manhattan and Queens. Officers are expected to attend community meetings and spend the duration of their shifts concentrating on issues impacting their specific blocks.
“The officers are going to wear two hats — they’re going to be community affairs, going to meetings to hear about problems, but then as police officers, they’re also going to solve them,” Henderson said.
“So if they hear people on Jefferson and Lewis are complaining about guys hanging out, they’re then going to have to address that.”
Next year’s expansion to Brooklyn will cover the 77th, 75th and 81st precincts, the commanding officer added.
“You’re going to see a really big change,” he told the crowd Tuesday night. “We’re going to reconnect with the community.”
