THWARTING TERRORISTS

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (standing third from right holding t-shirt) joins members of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association, including President Vance Barbour (behind Kelly) at the group’s October meeting. Also pictured are Assemblyman Mike Miller (standing second from left) and City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley (standing third from left). Counter-terrorism programs and school safety were topics tackled by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly at the Wednesday, Oct. 21 Woodhaven Residents Block Association (WRBA) meeting held at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Woodhaven.

In response to WRBA President Vance Barbour’s question regarding what type of federal funding the NYPD is receiving to combat any future attacks, Kelly informed the civic leader that while Washington supplies funding for equipment and computers, no financial assistance is given in terms of personnel.

“We get very little money from the state and federal governments. Our budget is based on New York City tax levy funds,” said the commissioner.

“We’re at greater risk than other cities,” he continued. “We have the best counter-terrorism program in the entire world—we have no choice.”

To allay the fears of civic members concerned about riding the subway with the threat of danger looming, Kelly spoke of a dramatic decrease in everyday subway crimes from 50,000 per day in 1990 to five per day in 2009 with 1.5 million more straphangers than 19 years ago.

In addition to continuing a bag search regimen, the NYPD, according to the 68-year-old Kelly, has enlisted the services of counter-terrorism analysts from the top educational centers in the United States, such as Harvard and Columbia universities to ramp up security.

“We have officers overseas that are working with police. We have refined our language skills. Our people are speaking more languages to help us,” he added.

Kelly spoke of the arrest of an Afghani-born Colorado man (Najibullah Zazi), who reportedly plotted to concoct a formulation to create bombs.

The police, he said, were able to attain the individual’s laptop containing sensitive information, which led to the eventual capture.

“We’ve had eight other plots [targeting] New York City that have been thwarted. We have many protective layers in place, but no guarantees,” observed Kelly.

The commissioner was also asked by community activist David M. Quintana if he thought that city schools are being flooded with an excessive amount of police officers.

Kelly conceded that there are some schools that may not require as much security as others, but he also warned that some learning institutions were completely “out of control” under the supervision of the old Board of Education prior to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s election in 2001.

He mentioned that crime numbers in schools have gone down under the Bloomberg Administration and noted that an environment more conducive to learning has been created in these locations.

“Money for school safety comes out of the DOE (Department of Education) not the NYPD,” explained the one-time commanding officer of the 106th Precinct.

“The problems we had in the ‘80s and ‘90s don’t exist anymore thanks to school safety.”

On the topic of diminishing recruitment classes, Kelly stated that the city’s economic downturn hasn’t provided enough money to bring in the required amount of new manpower.

“Crime is still down, but you can’t get blood out of a stone,” he remarked while weighing in on the challenges facing his department.

Changes abound at F.K. Lane H.S.

New student chairman at Franklin K. Lane High School Roopesh Ranjit spoke of his objective of uniting the new schools that have just set up shop at the Cypress Hills (Brooklyn) learning center in preparation for Lane’s imminent closure in May 2011.

Ranjit spoke of creating school councils to ensure that all students get along and participate in community events.

The school’s Campus School Council, civic members learned, regularly take part in graffiti cleanings under the guidance of WRBA Executive Director Maria Thomson.

The new student presidents and vice presidents of the new schools, he told the audience, will be meeting with their respective principals in order to protect student rights.

Top concerns addressed

WRBA Director Ed Wendell listed a variety of top concerns that Woodhaven residents are forced to cope with on a daily basis, including illegal dumping, littering, noise, the presence of too many 99-cent stores along Jamaica Avenue and illegal conversions.

Wendell was particulary upset by the fact that local police officers from the 102nd Precinct have not attended his civic association’s last three sessions.

He further took issue with their lack of urgency in regards to safeguarding Jamaica Avenue.

“They told us Jamaica Avenue isn’t exactly the crime capital of the world ... and then shrugged us off,” maintained the executive board member.”

Barbour followed Wendell by proposing sweeping events in an effort to keep local streets free and clear of litter.

“We will do more of this stuff in the coming years,” he promised. “We can get the press to cover these cleanings and send the right message.”

Miller on hospitals

Assemblyman Mike Miller and his chief of staff David Slapkin both spoke of the newly-elected assemblyman’s support of a hospital protection act designed to initiate a study on the impact of local hospital closings.

The endeavor was reportedly vetoed by Gov. David Paterson.

New member introduced

Barbour introduced Alexander Blenkinsopp as the organization’s newest executive board member.

The Woodhaven Residents Block Association regularly meets at 8p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps, located at 78-15 Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven.