Open public meeting w/NYPD Fri. 9/28 10am

Raul thanks for posting - I would really like to make it but since I work full time 10:00 a.m. on a weekday is really not good. There is so much I wanted to talk to the NYPD about too. Maybe Mr. Wai can let the PD know that they would get a better turnout if it was on a weekend or earlier in the evening.
I hope whoever goes will post about it after.

Subject: green book

That is a good question. I've had trouble lately locating contact info on the web for government officials and the 77th precinct. It seems that the nyc.gov site is down. Or being remodelled. I tried the email address listed on one of the threads on this site for the C.O. but it didn't work. A friend of mine told me today that there is a thing you can pick up at City Hall called the green book that lists the contact info for all of the city's government and municipal officials. Apparently it costs like ten dollars, but it sounds like a worthwhile investment.
Here's my question: are we in South Brooklyn? I know that there's a new agency being formed to patrol Brooklyn North that was discussed at the last Community Council meeting. Will Mr. Wai be addressing the concerns of those of us who live in Crown Heights North?

I went to the meeting and don't have time for a lengthy report, but I was encouraged by Mr. Wai. I think the meeting was really for community leaders and organizers, held with the intention of getting them to attend a larger forum with members from their community groups in November. Commissioner Kelly will attend that forum. The department really does seem earnest about reaching out and forming a partnership with the community, and Sidique Wai seems like the perfect person for the job. He listened closely to the various concerns, complaints and anecdotes of the people in attendance. He was supportive and reasonable and very much attuned to both the experience of community leaders who have had not-so-great experiences with the police and the department.
I think the real issue that the community needs to get behind is higher salaries and better benefits for recruits. I spoke with a beat cop this week who works for Brooklyn North and he's been recruited by LAPD. He's leaving New York for sun and a chance to literally almost double his salary. The department is hemorrhaging officers and the graduating classes won't come close to filling the spots being vacated, let alone provide the manpower necessary to staff high impact zones. According to this officer and his partner both the 79th and the 81st have been taken off the high impact zone list and only two remain, the 73rd and the 75th in East New York and Brownsville.
A man who grew up and is active in Brownsville described growing up during a time when the beat cops new kids by name and could readily distinguish between the good kids and the less than angelic. There is no way for the department to do that without adequate staffing and that's not gonna happen no matter how many people get involved without offering something better than a starting salary of 25K.
Seems to me like a good way for the community to get behind the department. Not only that, if we produce an outcry and get a result, then we can really feel like we're allowed to hold them accountable and maybe they'll respond in kind.
So much for the short post.

What does everyone think is the best way to call for higher salaries & benefits for nypd recruits? It's easy enough to call 311/attend community meetings, but it seems like some sort of concerted effort would have more impact... I'd be happy to set up an online petition if others think it would be useful, but I'd defer to more experienced activists in the community to hear what they'd suggest. (If anyone thinks that asking for higher police salaries isn't the solution, I'd be interested in hearing other suggestions too!)

shouldn't the cop union be involved in that? I mean, they're the ones in the contract negotiations. they have a pretty strong position right now: we're losing cops to higher paying communities - and not just bumblefuck. LA! (and really, who wants to be a cop in LA??) I seem to recall some union concessions that basically seemed to be protecting cops who'd been on the job for a certain amt of time in exchange for sacrificing the recruits. don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-union. but come on. there is NO WAY I'd ever consider any of the pay I'd qualify for in the NYPD, even though I've seen some new & interesting jobs in both anti-terrorism and computer crimes that I wouldn't mind doing. I can't imagine some youngster agreeing to the wages being offered up now. how could they live? I mean, really? especially since they have to buy all of their gear!
bleh.

I'm too tired to research it, but my understanding of the salary issues at the department is that they did use their union, but their union got shut down. I just came in from work and literally can't see to type, but I would recommend researching the union negotiations with the police. REally, though, as concerned as I am about policing, I'm more concerned with getting kids into after school and other programs. Idle hands and empty workshops and all...

I got busy--just finished a paper for school, this minute,-- and haven't had time to respond. What I understood regarding the union is that what alfairmaida said is right: salaries for recruits and younger officers are being cut in order to pay the benefits and higher salaries of the more senior employees. The beat officer that I spoke with said that the union is putting pressure on them to accept a slightly higher salary package with reduced vacation time, sick time, personal days and benefits. So, as far as I understand it, the cops are resisting pressure from the union, and the mayor is the one applying that pressure--via the union.
I think an online petition would be good, but a flood of paper somehow seems to make more of a statement. My suggestion would be to attend the next precinct Community Council meeting and see if we can't get something going there. Maybe we could plan to distribute several copies that people could sign and send in or take home and modify. Or maybe just distributing the Mayor's mailing address would be helpful. The next council meeting is next tuesday. you can call the precinct to find out where it will be held. that number is 718-735-0611.