Police partnerships, patrols and youth programs

1998

Learning how the department works

In 1998, 13th Precinct Community Affairs Detective Owen Hughes selected Arlene Harrison to attend the Citizens Police Academy. The archival report described one representative from each of the City’s 75 precincts participating in the program.

The course introduced civilians to police procedures and the pressures of the work. Harrison received her certificate from Police Commissioner Howard Safir at a ceremony attended by police commanders and several hundred guests.

Practical support on the street

One of the ten new patrol bicycles came from the Gramercy Park Block Association. Former commander Michael Darby had asked the community to help fund the $5,000 program, and neighborhood institutions, businesses and Councilman Andrew Eristoff joined in. The result was a practical tool for officers moving among the local parks.

Officer Scott Kimmins described how the bicycles helped patrols move among neighborhood parks. The accompanying photograph shows Arlene Harrison with the new patrol.

The Block Association’s 2014 retrospective described support for precinct bicycles, crime-prevention surveys, training for building employees and regular safety updates.

Getting to know the precinct

The same retrospective recorded child-identification kits and children’s visits to the station house. Photographs showed the materials and encounters through which the partnership became familiar to families.

2003

A neighborhood safety and health fair

When rain cancelled that summer’s National Night Out, local organizations planned another way to bring residents together. The Safety, Health and Community Information Fair took place at JHS 104 on October 17, 2003.

The program combined emergency preparedness and crime-prevention information with nutrition, vision health, neighborhood organizations and children’s activities. Residents could learn about Stuyvesant Cove and the future of the 23rd Street Veterans Hospital, while children had their faces painted or met McGruff.

Town & Village named the Block Association among the financial contributors and Arlene Harrison on the organizing committee, alongside the 13th Precinct and other neighborhood partners.

An ongoing local relationship

These historical partnerships also included the Explorers youth program and support during emergencies.

2013–2015

Forums and preparedness

The June 2013 neighborhood news recorded a presentation by Manhattan CERT’s Anthony Solomita at the 13th Precinct Community Council about revised hurricane evacuation zones. The meeting connected residents with city emergency-preparedness information.

In 2014 and 2015, the Block Association also circulated announcements for neighborhood safety forums with the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership and TD Bank. The notices brought local meetings and practical safety information to the Block Association’s readers.

Support beyond the precinct

The September 2014 partnership retrospective also recorded the Block Association’s support for the Moira Smith Scholarship Fund for children of police officers who had died. It placed that support within the Block Association’s longer relationship with officers and their families.

2019

Recognition for a longstanding relationship

An April 11, 2019 newsletter reported that Arlene Harrison and the Block Association had received the Unity Award from Blue Lives Matter NYC. The organization recognized their work with the community and law-enforcement families.

The accompanying photograph identifies Sgt. Joey Imperatrice, Det. Carlos Delgado and P.O. Chris Brinkley as the presenters. The recognition was a later chapter in a relationship that began with the Block Association’s early public-safety work.

2011

Sharing a scholarship appeal

On December 19, 2011, the Block Association asked neighbors to support the Police Foundation’s Peter Figoski Scholarship Fund for the fallen officer’s four daughters. The appeal appeared alongside neighborhood coat, book and gift collections.

The Block Association helped circulate the request; the Police Foundation administered the fund.

2005

Support for a colleague

The Block Association’s 2005 annual list records a donation to a fundraiser for Detective Rodney Lewis. It was another form of support for officers and their families.

The same list records logo blankets for NYPD and ESU personnel as a gesture of thanks that August. The blankets were another practical form of appreciation.