New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today presented two members of service with certificates recognizing their roles in the arrest of two suspected rapists involved in separate crimes. The presentation ceremony was held at One Police Plaza. The two members are Officer George Wolfrom from the 5th Precinct and Thomas Pisano from the 90th Precinct.

Commissioner Kelly said: "These officers went beyond the already rigorous requirements of the job. I want to express gratitude on behalf of the people of New York to these officers who exemplify the Department's tradition of being 'the Finest.'"

In the early morning of Friday, April 9, 2004, officers from the Fifth Precinct including Officer Wolfrom aided a woman who had jumped onto the tracks at the Second Avenue subway station on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Officers transported her to Bellevue Hospital for observation and notified her husband.

Later that morning, Bellevue Hospital called the 13th Precinct to report the sexual assault of a young girl inside of the hospital. Investigators raced to the scene and soon released a physical description of the attacker to the media. That evening, Officer Wolfrom was off-duty and riding in his car when he heard the rape report on news radio. The description of the attacker reminded Officer Wolfrom of the husband of the woman he earlier assisted and transported to Bellevue Hospital.

Officer Wolfrom notified his Precinct Detectives of the possible suspect's identity. These officers contacted the detectives working the case. Within hours, officers located Hector Ramirez visiting his wife at Bellevue Hospital. He questioned and subsequently arrested on rape and assault charges.

In a separate incident on April 3, 2004, two women reported being sexually assaulted in the vestibule of a building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As part of the investigation, a police artist drew composites sketches of the two suspects. The investigators released the drawings to the media. On April 8th, the NYPD received a 911 call reporting a sighting of one of the suspects in the 90th Precinct.

Officer Pisano responded to the call, but it did not result in an arrest. This did not discourage the officer. He continued a determined search. Before Officer Pisano's tour was over, he spotted one of the suspects. The officer apprehended Jose Cruz and charged him with several counts including rape and robbery.