TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2014 • 62 FBI: Midville Bank Bandit Remains On Lam -CONTINUED FROM PG. 20- The note-passing suspect of the Chase bank robbery in Middle Village on Tuesday evening Dec. 9 seen here at the teller window. Fire Dept. Urged To Add More Women To Ranks -CONTINUED FROM PG. 12- SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS MEANS MORE THAN WAVING FLAGS. HHeellpp RReettuurrnniinngg SSoollddiieerrss BByy DDoonnaattiinngg TToo VVeetteerraannss OOrrggaanniizzaattiioonnss.. Caucus. “The city not only needs to increase and rethink its recruitment efforts, it needs to answer serious questions regarding testing methods in the Fire Academy that may keep female probationary officers from graduating.” “Equal employment and opportunity preserves the diversity of our city and workforce while strengthening our economy,” added City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo, who chairs the Women’s Issues Committee. “Through our joint committee hearing, we can better assess the barriers that women face in most industries, especially public service, and identify concrete solutions to support women in the workforce.” “The FDNY is so behind the times that we would have to hire over 400 more women just to be at the national average,” said UWF President Sarinya Srisakul. “The mayor and the FDNY need to end their use of illegal and extraneous barriers that keep qualified women out. This is an important civil rights issue of which the resolution is long overdue. Decades of the FDNY being an ‘old boys club’ has to stop now.” Diversity at the Fire Department has been the subject of much controversy in recent years. Earlier this year, the de Blasio administration settled a federal lawsuit with the Vulcan Society, a group of black firefighters that claimed the FDNY’s entrance exams were unfair to minority candidates. During last Wednesday’s hearing, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro stated disparities was the result of decades of departmental decision made “in rooms lacking any meaningful diversity.” “Rarely were the opinions of women and people of color even considered,” he said. “There should be no place for this kind of inequality.” Since taking office in June, Nigro stated, he appointed a new chief diversity officer, Pam Lassiter, to incorporate various short- and long-term changes to make the Fire Department more inviting for minority and female candidates. He also appointed Elizabeth Cassio as executive officer, bringing a female voice to the table “when major decisions are made at the department.” The commissioner stated the Fire Department’s highestranking officials are working to change the culture from the ground up, starting at its Randalls Island academy. Probationary firefighters are required to undergo diversity training so they understand prior to being assigned upon graduation that “they treat all members of the department—including women—with professionalism, dignity and respect.” Nigro expects further changes at the academy based on the report of an independent consultant hired to evaluate the training facility in 2015. The commissioner added he also changed the impact of the department’s Functional Skills Tests (FST) on candidates’ grades. He removed the critical pass component so the FST score is not the sole basis for deciding to graduate a candidate, and also eliminated the midterm FST passing score requirement in order for candidates to serve a one-week training program at a firehouse. In order to recruit and prepare additional women to join the Fire Department, Nigro said, the FDNY Foundation is funding the UWF’s physical training program. The Fire Department is also selecting candidates from the civil service lists, which are valid for up to four years. This ensures that 60 female candidates who took the civil service exam will be considered before the next entrance exam is given in 2017. “I know we can maintain the high standards the public expects from New York City firefighters while ensuring the process is fair for all who want to join our ranks,” Nigro said. “These changes were only the first step. We must no longer wait for a judge’s ruling to tell us what fairness means.” Lassiter added the Fire Department’s recruitment office aims to increase outreach to potential female candidates and work with private organizations to convince women to join the agency. She added the Fire Department will conduct a “full analysis of the application process to find out what points and why we lose female candidates so we can work on changes to the process.” Alleged Teen Burglar Cuffed -CONTINUED FROM PG. 19- Officers from the 104th Precinct responded to all of the incidents. Based on information obtained during the investigation, P.O. Filip Glowa arrested Guevara following questioning last Wednesday, Dec. 10. During the arraignment hearing last Thursday, Judge Suzanne Melendez ordered Guevara held on $25,000 bail and to return to court on Dec. 29. Guide: Queens Top Tourist Draw -CONTINUED FROM PG. 13- museums in the world. The museum’s collection features over 130,000 television and movie props, a wide variety of vintage televisions, cameras and arcade video games, and even get some hands-on fun with the film editing exhibit. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan has a younger brother in MoMA PS1 located in Long Island City, which focuses exclusively on contemporary art. Beach-goers can enjoy the many different areas around Rockaway Beach. From the sand and water of the beach, to playgrounds and skate parks, to the only legal surfing beach in the city. “Don’t miss the prime eating and drinking scene that has popped up around the boardwalk,” Lonely Planet also touted. Rockaway Taco serves up some succulent fish tacos, the pizza from Roberta’s is sizzling, and The Rock is a wine bar that serves tapas, craft beer and wine on tap. For those visiting New York who don’t want to spring for a hotel in Manhattan, Queens has a lineup of hotels that won’t the bank. Rooftop bars, unique restaurants, and stunning views of Manhattan are just a few of the amenities Queens hotels have to offer. The Paper Factory is a boutique hotel built from an actual paper factory. Seth Bornstein, executive director of the Queens Economic Development Corporation said, “I have always argued that we have the best hotels, restaurants, cultural organizations, parks, sporting events, and residents in the world ... It’s simply wonderful that Lonely Planet agrees.” Rounding out the rest of the top 10 cities in Lonely Planet’s “Best in the US 2015” list are: Western South Dakota, New Orleans, the Colorado River region, North Conway in New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Greenville in North Carolina, Oakland, Duluth in Minnesota, and the Mount Shasta region in California. Saturday, Dec. 6, Police described the suspect suspect as standing between 5’9”- and 6’-tall, with a fit build, wearing dark-colored attire that included a black leather jacket, hoodie, mask, thick gloves, pants and shoes. He reportedly was carrying a silver and black semiautomatic handgun with a black grip. Authorities said the robber approached a banker sitting in a cubicle, brandished the gun and pointed it at her face, grabbed the employee by the back of her neck and pushed her head down towards the teller window. The suspect stuffed cash into his jacket pockets and dropped bills as he fled out of the branch westbound on 213th Street. He then entered the passenger side of a waiting black or dark-colored car, law enforcement sources said. The car headed in an unknown direction on 43rd Avenue, it was reported. Both suspects should be considered armed and dangerous, federal agents said. Anyone with information regarding the robberies or the suspects’ whereabouts is asked to call the FBI at 1-212-384-1000 or the NYPD at 1-800-577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. Selling A Home Or Car? Renting An Apartment? Let The Times Newsweekly Classified Section Work For You! Call Us At 718-821-7500
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