Sound Shore

On Wednesday, the International Association of Chiefs of Police gave the New Rochelle Police Department the 2011 Community Policing Award.

The award was given in recognition of the department’s Quality of Life Task Force, which includes the city’s Police Department, Fire Department, Building Department and others.

The task force was formed in 2007 when the Police Department realized it could be more effective if it enlisted the help of other city departments and the community.

The group focused on building violations — overcrowding, shoddy construction, jury-rigged wiring — and, Commissioner Patrick Carrol said, had an immediate impact.

Complaints fell and, as the rest of the department adopted community policing practices, violent and property crimes throughout the city dropped as well.

“We’re using the community to solve problems,” Carroll said. “They have a share in this. It’s their community. We need their help — reporting, co-operating, eyes and ears, anything.”

Updated:

They got the money, but they didn’t to keep it for long.
Two men, one armed with a pistol, held up the Webster Bank on River Street in New Rochelle just after noon on Tuesday.

According to police, one of the men allegedly threatened customers with a handgun while the other, who was unarmed, demanded money from a teller. Each man was wearing a stocking on his head and face.

After stuffing their loot into a backpack, they dashed out to an SUV with Pennsylvania license plates, which was waiting for them on River Street, and sped toward I-95, with a third man behind the wheel.

New Rochelle Police Capt. Joseph Schaller said police received a panic alarm from the bank at 12:17 p.m. along with calls from customers and passers-by reporting the heist.

The crime-mapping software now being used by the New Rochelle Police Department was paid for by a grant won by Rep. Nita Lowey. According to Lowey spokesman Matt Dennis, Lowey secured $340,000 from the 2010 Science, Justice, Commerce Appropriations Act for “police department equipment and training.”

As this story from Thursday’s Journal News reported, the Police Department had intended to make its crime map public, but the City Council blocked it, citing worries about image and bad publicity.

Dennis said “neither New Rochelle’s request to Congresswoman Lowey nor Congresswoman Lowey’s request to the Appropriations Committee” specified the software the city would buy or how it would use it. “The most effective use of this crime mapping tool is a judgment best made by local officials,” Dennis said.

And now, a mapping program paid for by the public cannot be seen by the public.

For the moment, you can look at a map showing where and when crimes have occurred in New Rochelle. Click here to see the map.

The New Rochelle Police Department just began using this new crime-mapping tool. At Tuesday night’s meeting of the City Council, Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll presented a case for making the map available to the public. The council didn’t buy it, with members citing image concerns and expressing little enthusiasm for making the information public.

Wednesday afternoon, City Manager Charles Strome III said the map was “in the process” of being closed off to the public.

You can read more about the map and the decision to keep it out of sight in tomorrow’s editions of the Journal News.

The New Rochelle Police Department Memorial held its annual Service and Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at the Greentree Country Club. Robert Wenzler received Police Officer of the Year (photo below) and Stacey Craft was named Civilian Employee of the Year.

Here’s a full list:

Police Commissioner’s Award

Police Officer Michael Ciafardini

Police Officer Paul D’Erasmo

Police Officer Matthew Glass

Police Officer Vincent Marco

Police Officer Vincent Marion

Violent crime continued to drop in the City of New Rochelle last year, according to the city’s police department, which released its annual report for 2009. The department reported that violent crimes went down 15 percent, robberies went down 28 percent, and larceny dropped 19 percent compared to 2008.

One area that had an increase in incidents was burglary, which went up 12 percent. In 2009, there were 206 incidents of burglary versus 179 in 2008. (The numbers in a press release were slightly different than the report. Lt. Cosmo Costa said that was likely due to a late adjustment in numbers.) Carroll said the deparment would tackle the rise by using more unmarked units and doing more field interviews. He expected that cameras planned for the downtown area would also help. Auto theft also went up slightly, from 92 to 97.

Overall, New Rochelle was the fifth safest city in the country for its size, said Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll, citing figures from the U.S. Department of Justice.  The figures also dispel the notion that these types of crimes would rise in light of the bleak economy, Carroll said.

“The downward trend is not just particular to New Rochelle but nationwide, as police forces become more influential in their communities,” Carroll said. “Overall, policing has become more efficient, leading to more precise deployment of resources and a much safer environment for all.” Read the report here: annualreport2009

Want a closer look at the operations of the New Rochelle Police Department? Here’s your chance. The department is now taking applications for its annual Citizens Police Academy. During the academy, citizens learn about law enforcement and the criminal justice system from instructors ranging from the police commissioner, to division commanders, to beat officers. Topics include forensics and myths about police work on television. Participants will also go on a police ride-along and a boat tour with the the Harbor Unit and will use a firearm simulator.  The program is designed to improve community-police relations. Classes run Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 9 p.m. starting April 20.

For more information and an application contact Lt. Cosmo Costa at (914) 654-2323. Applications must be filed and registration approved prior to the first class. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, find the application here: Application 10