Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Makes Announcement At 114Th Precinct National Night Out

August 2, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Welcome everybody to National Night Out. This is a wonderful opportunity – a wonderful opportunity to gather together – community and police together for the good of the whole community – people working together to build a safer neighborhood for everyone. National Night Out for years and years has symbolized that coming together – that unification of police and community. And you’re going to see going forward more and more of that all over New York City – creating that real partnership. This is what we believe, and this is what we need in this city. And we’re very, very proud of these efforts.

Astoria – a neighborhood I have a special love for. I lived here just about 25 years ago for a few, wonderful years. I lived just across the street from Ricardo’s Banquet Hall – for all of you who know Ricardo’s. And this is a beautiful neighborhood – wonderful, warm, friendly neighborhood. And thank you to everyone who is so involved in the community and helps to make this neighborhood great.

Now, this is a very meaningful day for New York City and certainly for all of us in the city government – for everyone in the NYPD. Because we have the very best leader anywhere in the country, and today Bill Bratton announced that he is retiring after an extraordinary career in public service. And I got to tell you – no one’s ever done more to make this city safe than this man right here. Let’s give Bill Bratton a big round of applause and thank him.

[Applause]

But we don’t let any – what is it? No moss gathers underneath our shoes, or whatever the phrase is – we move fast here in New York City. And so the very same day that we announced that Commissioner Bratton is retiring and going on to his next career in the private sector, we announced a great new leader and a great new leadership team for the NYPD. And I’ve got to tell you – for the last two-and-a-half years, I’ve gotten to work very closely with the incredibly talented group of leaders that have developed under Commissioner Bratton’s leadership. And he believes in bringing up the best and the brightest and helping them develop and helping them reach their potential.

And this is such a beautiful day because our new leader of NYPD – someone I can tell all the people of New York City is tried, and true, and tested; born and bred in Brooklyn; came up through the NYPD; 33 years on the job; and a man who’s going to take this vision of neighborhood policing and make it deeper than we’ve ever seen before in this city, really bonding neighborhood and police, more deeply than ever for the safety of all. And that is currently Chief, soon to be Commissioner, Jimmy O’Neill. Let’s thank Commissioner-to-be O’Neill for the leadership he’s given us and will give us.

[Applause]

And he will be joined by two other fantastic leaders. They all as I announced them earlier today – I said it’s a beautiful moment for New York City. [Inaudible] And the man who will now be the Chief of Department – the highest uniform role in the NYPD – proud son of Jackson Heights, Queens – Chief Carlos Gomez. Let’s congratulate him.

[Applause]

Now, I’m just going to take a quick second to thank – there’s so many great people here. These events are a highlight of the year for everyone who cares about our community and the work we do between police and community. I’m going to call out some names quickly. I want to thank our Mayor’s Office Commissioner for Community Affairs Marco Carrión who does such great work all over the city.

[Applause]

Your Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski – let’s thank her.

[Applause]

She’s got a cheering section. Chief for Patrol, Borough of Queens North Diana Pizzuti – thank you.

[Applause]

Our great elected officials – Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

[Applause]

Senator Mike Gianaris.

[Applause]

Assemblymember Aravella Simotas.

[Applause]

Council Member Costa Constantinides.

[Applause]

Your wonderful DA Judge Richard Brown.

[Applause]

The absolutely irreplaceable Precinct Council President Ann Bruno.

[Applause]

President – out of the President of the 114th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol – the President and VP – two different titles because it’s two different people – Jim and Barbara Pollock, thank you.

[Applause]

And District Manager for Community Board 1 Florence Koulouris – thank you so much for all you do.

[Applause]

I’m going to be very quick with this – just want to say a couple more things.

Neighborhood policing – you’re going to hear a lot about neighborhood policing. When you hear neighborhood policing, you should be thinking – Jimmy O’Neill, Ben Tucker, Carlos Gomez, and the whole team that’s going to bring this to life because we – once upon a time we had a kind of neighborhood policing where there’s a cop on the beat who knew everyone – knew the kids, knew the parents. But that was in a time when cops didn’t have a lot of the training, and the tools, and the technology they have today. And then for a long time – as we know – our officers were sent out in the squad cars and they didn’t get a chance to connect with the community. But now we’re going to do the best of all worlds. We’re going to take what used to be with that deep, neighborhood connection between police and community. We’re going to add the training, the technology – all the tools we have that make policing so much stronger today and we’re going to have a neighborhood policing for the 21st Century. And it’s spreading all over the city. I’m very proud to announce in October, neighborhood policing – our NCO program – is going to be in 12 new precincts across the city, including right here in the 1-1-4. And that’s going to be great for this community.

[Applause]

So 51 percent – over half our precincts – by October will have especially trained NCOs, the neighborhood coordinating officers – they’ll have the neighborhood policing approach – 100 percent of our public housing commands. And I want you to just think about it this way – I had a chance to talk to a couple of the NCOs earlier – it is so important, when people know the name of their officer, they feel that their officer belongs to their immediate neighborhood, knows them, understands them, they can reach the officer, the officer can reach them, there’s a constant dialogue – it’s a whole different kind of policing that helps everyone to be safer. So you’re going to see it right here before your very eyes. I think it’s going to be one of the things that makes New York City – already the safest big city in the country – even safer. And it’s going to be something that we can all be proud of.

This precinct has so much to be proud of already. As we’ve seen – although we’ve seen all over the city great statistics – a lot of things going down – shootings going down, robberies going down, burglaries going down, car theft going down all over the city – thanks to this great leadership team and especially thanks to the men and women of the NYPD. Let’s give a round of applause to every single one of them.

[Applause]

But here in the 1-1-4 – burglaries down from last year to this – down 25 percent, already in just one year. And homicide down 80 percent – what an amazing accomplishment. So, there’s something very good happening here. Neighborhood policing is going to make it better.

And two last things. I want to say just a few sentences in Spanish. And then I have a proclamation I want to give Deputy Inspector Fortune to thank him for his work and the work of his command.

Just quickly in Spanish.

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish.]

With that, I want to bring up Deputy Inspector Fortune.

[Applause]

Okay. This is a proclamation for National Night Out Against Crime. And this precinct doing a great job and on the way to even greater things. Inspector, thank you for your great leadership. And thank you to all the men and women who serve under you. And I’m honored to give you this proclamation.

[Applause]

Alright. And now it is my honor – he is retiring, but we’re still going to call upon him for advice, and that’s going to be free. And he is someone who has, again, done so much for this city. Let’s thank and welcome Commissioner Bill Bratton.

[Applause]