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Public Safety honored investigation a success. The Bronx District Attorney’s office, together with the NYPD Bronx Gang Squad, simultaneously affected 23 arrests on July 29th, three of whom were Co-op City residents involved in some way with the March gun arrests affected by Public Safety. The five detectives and one patrol sergeant honored by NY Shields Tuesday night at Eastwood Manor are: Detective Antonio Sealy, Detective Jacinto Cruz, Detective Joseph Monahan, Lieutenant Anthony Warner, commander of the Public Safety Detective Unit, and Sergeant Elizabeth Delvalle. Chief Frank Apollo, commanding officer of the Public Safety Department, said after Tuesday night’s ceremonies: “I am extremely proud of the members of my department who were recognized by the NYS Shields for their March 2015 gun arrests. The actions of these brave men and women removed dangerous individuals from the Co-op City community, all done while placing their own lives at great risk. The entire community should be as proud as I am to have such dedicated men and women in our Public Safety Department. It is because of their actions that the community remains safe.” The March arrests were internally honored by the Public Safety Department with Cop of the Month recognition given to those involved in the arrest, but otherwise kept quiet due to the sensitive nature of the larger wide-ranging investigation. The Co-op City Times got word of the gun arrests shortly thereafter in March, but was asked to also not publish the news in deference to, and not to jeopardize the ongoing large scale investigation into Bronx gang activity. When news of the Bronx gang arrests culminating the investigation was released by the Bronx District Attorney’s office in late July, the Co-op City Times ran an account of Co-op City Public Safety’s actions leading to the March gun recoveries and arrests the following week. The three arrests affected on March 19th centered around an investigation into who might have been responsible for firing a series of shots in Section 5 from a vehicle on March 17th. In the hours after the shooting, which fortunately resulted in no injuries, a description of the suspected vehicle went out to the entire department. Two days later, on the afternoon of
Co-op City Times / October 31, 2015 March 19th, Sgt. Delvalle, who at that time was still a patrol officer on routine patrol in the vicinity of the Einstein Shopping Center, spotted a vehicle which matched the description and immediately radioed into the dispatcher her discovery. Within minutes, other officers began responding and a Public Safety patrol car began following the suspected vehicle and its occupants. Moments later, a detective squad vehicle and the Emergency Services Unit began responding to the scene. The driver of the suspected vehicle, now under observation, noticed the pressure and instantly tried to make a run for it, speeding down the west-bound lanes of Bartow Avenue through red traffic signals, according to a Public Safety report on the incident, all while Public Safety vehicles remained in close pursuit. As the suspected vehicle approached the intersection on Bartow and Edson Avenues, its escape route was cut off by the high volume of traffic waiting for the light to change at the intersection. This gave members of the Public Safety Detective Unit a chance to confront the driver and order him to stop. According to the report, however, the driver of the suspected vehicle would have none of that and attempted to speed off even after the CCPD detectives ordered him to stop. In doing so, the suspected driver ran over the foot of one of the pursuing detectives and collided with one of the patrol cars, causing damage to the front passenger door. According to the report, the driver then complied with the detectives’ loud verbal commands and put his vehicle in park. The four occupants of the vehicle all turned out to be Co-op City residents ranging between 19 and 20 years of age. The driver was immediately arrested and charged with assault on a peace officer, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief auto. A second occupant of the vehicle was arrested and charged with possession of a large amount of marijuana found in plain sight within the vehicle. The other two occupants were identified, but not charged and released. The injured detective was taken to Jacobi Medical Center by EMS for treatment of his injured foot. Shortly thereafter, two loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistols were discovered in the glove compartment of the impounded vehicle. (Continued from page 1)
Co-op City pride!
In the weeks that followed, the investigation continued into the possible involvement of the vehicle’s occupants into the shooting that occurred in Section 5 on March 17th. On April 13th, a third occupant of the vehicle, who was previously released, turned himself in and was arrested and charged in connection with that shooting. These incidents then became part of the encompassing investigation by the Bronx Gang Squad and the Bronx DA’s office in the days, weeks and months that followed.
We congratulate and salute Shanise A.B. Greenfield, who was sworn in on Tuesday, October 27, as an Assistant District Attorney in the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. Shanise grew up in Co-op City and is the eldest child of Alisa McCluney, a long-time resident of Co-op City and a member of the Riverbay team who works in the Parking Facilities Department. “Shanise, to be able to be a part of all of your accomplishments from recitals and plays to graduations is a wonderful feeling for a parent,” Alisa said in a personal note to her daughter this week. “For me to witness and to be a part of you being sworn in as an Assistant District Attorney was an awesome feeling. For you to be on the team of the Brooklyn District Attorney, Ken Thompson, who also grew up in Co-op City, you are a part of history. What an accomplishment for a deserving young woman. You worked hard to accomplish your goals and you did it! I love you and feel honored to be your mother. Your sisters, Nijee and Ashante, and your brother, Kevin, love you very much. Congratulations.” We wish ADA Shanise Greenfield continued success as she embarks on her new career.
Tuesday evening was not the first time that New York State Shields, Inc. has honored Public Safety personnel for their heroic actions. Last December, Public Safety Officers Mike Marsanico and Matthew Colletti-Brown were honored by the fraternal organization of law enforcement officers for bravely and heroically chasing down and subduing an armed man, and wrestling a gun away from him at a busy Co-op City intersection on a summer afternoon in 2014.
DR. LEWIS WOLSTEIN Podiatrist — Foot Specialist • Practicing in Co-op City since 1975 • Board Certified in Foot Surgery • ALL conditions of the foot treated • We
accept most health insurance plans
Honoring a fallen officer
• Participating in the Medicare Diabetic Shoe Program • Evening and Saturday appointments
Dr. Lewis Wolstein
Call: Scores of community residents attended a candlelight vigil in honor of New York City Police Officer Randolph Holder who was killed in the line of duty on October 20. The vigil, which was held in front of the 45th Precinct on Monday, was attended by police officers, members of the 45th Precinct Community Council, including Co-op City resident Joe Boiko, representatives of local elected officials and many others from the broader 45th Precinct coverage area. Riverbay Corporation sent a wreath on behalf of the residents of Co-op City. Officer Holder was posthumously promoted to detective by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton who issued him a new gold shield with the same number of the badge worn by his father, also named Randolph, a retired police officer.
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