SOUTH BRONX — Capt. Louis DeCeglie may not live in The Bronx, but he still refers to the borough as his home.
"I love The Bronx. I feel like The Bronx is my home," he said. "I’m most comfortable in The Bronx. It’s probably because it's where I started."
The 40-year-old DeCeglie recently took over as commanding officer of the 41st Precinct, which covers South Bronx neighborhoods like Hunts Point and Longwood, and although he has worked in other parts of the city, he always enjoys coming back to The Bronx.
"There’s a closeness amongst the cops that you don’t see anywhere else," he said. "I’ve been in Manhattan. I’ve been in Queens. The camaraderie amongst cops in The Bronx is unparalleled.”
DeCeglie joined the NYPD in 1997 and started out working at PSA 8 in Throggs Neck, where he met his wife, a fellow police officer who currently works in the 47th Precinct.
He had stints in the 44th and 40th Precincts as well and most recently headed up the Bronx Gang Squad for about two years.
"I think that The Bronx has a big gang problem. I do," he said. "I can see that, maybe just because I was commanding officer of the Bronx Gang Squad."
DeCeglie said he was proud of the work he and his colleagues did while he led the Bronx Gang Squad, particularly an April bust where more than 120 people were arrested in what officials touted as the largest gang bust in the city's history.
Although the bust itself took place months ago, DeCeglie said the city would likely still continue to reap the benefits of it going forward.
"It looks like there are going to be quite a few unsolved homicides solved with that as time goes on and proffers take place," he said. "I'm confident that a lot of homicides will be solved."
He plans to continue focusing on youth gangs while at the 41st Precinct, along with issues like narcotics and youth robberies.
"The key is, you identify these people that are causing the problems in the community," he said, "because it’s a very small part of the community that causes problems."
As of June 12, the precinct had seen a rise in homicides, rapes, felony assaults and auto thefts compared to last year, while robberies, burglaries and grand larcenies had all dropped, according to NYPD statistics.
DeCeglie is taking over at the 41st Precinct for Deputy Inspector Martine Materasso, who moved to the nearby 44th Precinct, where she replaced Inspector Brian Mullen as the commanding officer. Mullen has moved to Patrol Boro Bronx.
This is DeCeglie's first time heading up a precinct, and he said he was very excited for the opportunity.
"This is where I started, and this is where I ultimately want to end up," he said. "I want to end my career in The Bronx in some capacity."
