6 TIMES • MAY 21, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com Volunteer patrol lauded for help in Glendale search BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO [email protected] @Ridgewoodtimes.com Efforts to track down a missing Glendale student and honors for a graffi ti-fi ghting cop were highlighted during the May 14 meeting of the 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol (104COP) at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall in Glendale. Capt. Gregory Mackie, 104th Precinct executive offi - cer, commended the civilian patrol for their help in the search for 12-year-old Kwan Williams, a student at P.S. 113 in Glendale, who went missing after school on May 11. After an extensive precinct-wide search, Williams was eventually found safe at his father’s home in Manhattan. As part of the effort, the 104COP mobilized 13 patrol cars in the search for Williams. Units searched local parking lots and parks, including Juniper Park, Mafera Park and the Forest Park Bandshell and surrounding areas. In addition to the diligence of the patrols, 104COP members also credited social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter with helping to spread the word about the missing boy. According to Mark Pearson, 104COP fi rst vice president, the missing persons fl yer was posted and tweeted to all of the local civic groups social media pages. It was shared an estimated 350 times online, and reportedly reached 35,000 people. “It was a great showing of community,” Pearson said. P.O. Charles Sadler of the 104th Precinct Community Affairs Unit commended the use of social media in the search for Williams. “Let’s take advantage of the outlet we have and use it for something good,” he said. Frank Kotnik, 104COP president, expressed pride over the effort and the search’s success. “We’re out there and we’re looking to help,” Kotnik said. “It’s a good feeling that we had a purpose.” The patrol also honored P.O. Justin Dambinskas of the Citywide Vandals Task Force, who was previously the 104th Precinct graffi ti coordinator. “He was one of the best graffi ti coordinators in our precinct,” Kotnik said, adding that there were over 450 vandalism arrests and 2,500 sites painted and cleaned on Dambinskas’ watch. Dambinskas credits the local judiciary system and the keen eyes of the community with helping win the war against graffi ti. “The District Attorney and prosecution in this neighborhood is the best I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “We’ve got people jail time and restitution. People are afraid to actually tag in Queens because of what happens.” Dambinskas also thanked community and civic groups such as G-COP for contributing to the success of the precinct’s anti-graffi ti operations. “We got involved because graffi ti was out of hand back in the day,” Kotnik said. BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport The Department of Transportation (DOT) is set to launch a pilot program called Go Smart NYC in the confi nes of Community Board 5 this June. Go Smart NYC is a federally funded, optional education and encouragement program that aims to improve travel outcomes for drivers, cyclists, mass transit users and pedestrians by providing information about all available transit options to all residents of the area. It also encourages and incentivizes travel by walking, carpooling, transit and cycling. “Broadly speaking, the goal of this program, the way we will judge our success, is by getting as much information about all of the travel options in the area out to as many of the residents as possible,” said Alex Keating, project manager of Go Smart NYC. “And if a resident is interested, if a household is interested in more information they’ll be able to opt in and we’ll have a program there that will encourage and incentivize trips that are made locally or to work, any kind of trip.” Residents within the CB 5 area will receive a Go Smart NYC mailer from the DOT which will include an introduction to the program and prompt residents to register on the program’s website. From the website, participants will be able to order a customized travel information kit with walking, biking, bus, subway and carpooling information provided by the DOT; safety and educational materials; as well as a free tote bag, pedometer, Frisbee and bike light. Once registered, members will be able to log their trips on the Go Smart NYC website, from their desktop or mobile device, to track their progress. They can then receive data on their travel spending, physical activity and environmental upkeep, as well as earn points redeemable for coupons to local stores. “We wanted a program that had really good community organizations on the ground, local shopping options, all of the transit options including levels of car ownership…and we thought that this area would be a great fi t,” Keating said. “We hope it will be successful, and if it is successful we will continue to explore additional federal funds to continue doing it in other areas and neighborhoods is the city.” There will be a public launch event for the pilot program on June 16, and the mailers will be delivered on that same day. The DOT hopes to expand the program to three or four more neighborhoods if the pilot goes well. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY/Photo by Kelly Marie Mancuso The 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol (104COP) honored P.O. Justin Dambinskas of the NYPD Citywide Vandals Unit during the group’s May 14 meeting. Photo by Anthony Giudice Alex Keating from the Department of Transportation presenting Community Board 5 with the pilot Go Smart NYC program. Board 5 hears about Go Smart NYC Plan We’re out there and we’re looking to help,” Kotnik said. “It’s a good feeling that we had a purpose.” --Frank Kotnik, 104COP president
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