Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell on Wednesday, March 2, announced she had appointed Mark T. Stewart to the position of deputy commissioner of community affairs at what was described as a moment of critical importance in the department’s ongoing mission to protect all New Yorkers and ensure a safe, just and prosperous city.

 

“I welcome Mr. Stewart, I thank him for his public service, and I look forward to working with him as we fulfill our vision to reflect the values and concerns of all the city’s citizens,” said Sewell in the context of the announcement. “I am confident that his leadership will not only inspire those within the Police Department, but reflect his deep passion for and commitment to all of the people of New York City.”

 

 

NYPD officials said Stewart’s appointment places him in charge of the police department’s community affairs bureau, giving him responsibility for building new, strong relationships between NYPD officers and the New Yorkers they are sworn to serve in every neighborhood. They said the role will allow him to lead the NYPD in forging cooperation between the police and community leaders in order to identify key safety issues affecting the public and create meaningful solutions.

 

Officials said Stewart will work to ensure the NYPD rededicates itself to building trust with the city’s communities, in part by listening to new ideas that will help move New York City forward.

 

According to the NYPD, Stewart previously served as the coordinating supervising rackets investigator for the New York County district attorney’s violent criminal enterprise unit from June 2010 to February 2022. He also assisted in investigating and prosecuting violent gangs and illegal firearms traffickers.

 

Prior to that appointment, Stewart served as a senior rackets investigator from April 2006 to June 2010 in the New York County district attorney, central investigations unit.

 

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NYPD officials said the new deputy commissioner is a retired NYPD detective with two decades of crime-fighting experience. From July 1984 to November 1988, he served as a New York City transit police officer. He was promoted to detective in November 1988, where he was assigned to the NYPD’s transit major case squad. They said Stewart was promoted again, to detective second grade, in December 2000 and assigned to the 6^th precinct detective squad. He retired from the NYPD in 2004.

 

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The news comes as the NYPD released the citywide crime statistics for February 2022, with February seeing a 58.7 percent increase in overall index crime, compared to Feb. 2021 (9,138 crimes versus 5,759).

 

Police officials said every major index crime category saw an increase in February 2022. Robbery increased by 56 percent (1,276 versus 818), grand larceny increased by 79.2 percent (3,762 versus 2.099), and grand larceny auto increased by 104.7 percent (1,083 versus 529). Meanwhile, they said citywide shooting incidents decreased by 1.3 percent (76 versus 77) in February 2022, compared to the same period last year. Norwood News has reported on a number of these crimes. See attached links.

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In the context of the release of the latest figures an NYPD statement read, “The New York City Police Department remains focused on the drivers of crime and disorder in New York City, and the department will never waver in its core mission to protect all the people it serves.”

 

The statement continued, “Every day, in every New York City neighborhood, the NYPD is working to identify and investigate the relatively small number of people who are responsible for the majority of the criminal activity – and it is employing every resource to ensure that these offenders are held accountable.”

 

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Officials said to that end, new neighborhood safety teams will further enhance the NYPD’s efforts to stop the proliferation of illegal guns, stifle gang activity, and suppress the violence caused by unlawful actions. “The deployment of these specially trained officers and supervisors will augment the ongoing work of patrolling the city’s streets, subways, and public housing developments, 24-hours per day,” department officials said.

 

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“Nearly nine million New Yorkers depend on the NYPD and its local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to keep them safe – and every member of the police department is fully committed to this critical work,” the statement concluded.

 

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For her part, Sewell added, “The men and women of the New York City Police Department are proactively addressing the deep-rooted causes of criminal behavior. The NYPD will never relent, and the department has made far too much progress over the decades – and invested far too much in the communities it serves – to fall back by any measure. New Yorkers deserve better.”

 

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According to the NYPD, part of the department’s community affairs strategy is the concept of neighborhood policing, described as a comprehensive crime-fighting strategy built on improved communication and collaboration between local police officers and community residents. Department officials say neighborhood policing greatly increases connectivity and engagement with the community.

 

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Fordham Heights: Attempted Armed Robbery on #4 Line at W 183rd St. Subway Station

 

 

Woman Threatened & Robbed Aboard 4 Train

 

 

They say neighborhood coordination officers or NCOs are local problem solvers, who spend all their working hours in their assigned precinct sectors, actively engaging with local community members and residents. There, they get to know the neighborhood, its people, and its problems extremely well. Residents are encouraged to email their NCOs directly, contact their local precinct, or join their local Build the Block meetings to discuss ongoing crime or quality-of-life issues.

 

At the 52nd precinct, which covers Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Bronx Park, and University Heights, the designated community affairs officer is Police Officer Crystal Reveron. Her contact number is (718) 220-5824. More contact information can be found at: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/52nd-precinct.page.

 

 

Meanwhile, Brenda Caldwell-Paris is the president of the 52nd precinct community council. Meetings typically take place on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. They are held via Zoom or at a new physical location each month. Locations may be obtained by calling the 52nd precinct community affairs office at (718) 220-5824.