Roosevelt Island's Former NYPD Officer Says Good Bye To Roosevelt Island Residents Having Served the Community for Over 13 Years
Image From NY Daily News
As reported last Wednesday, the sole NYPD Officer assigned to cover Roosevelt Island has been transferred and his position will not be replaced by the NYPD's 114th precinct. Officer Fernandez, who has served Roosevelt Island residents as a Public Safety Officer and then as a NYC Police Officer sends the following message:
After over 13 years of dedicated service to the community of Roosevelt Island, I regret to inform you that I will no longer serve as the 114 Pct. Roosevelt Island Post. This decision was made by me after a series of calls were made to my command requesting a change of scenery. Apparently, two members of the RIRA Public Safety Committee felt they represented the entire community when they stated that there was a need for some "New Blood" on the island. Despite the recent events, it has been a great experience for me, with many friends and memories I will always cherish.I wish Officer Fernandez the best of luck in his new assignment and thank him for his service.
I started as a Public Safety Officer in June 1997. In January 2005, I joined the New York City Police Academy. In July 2005, I was assigned the 114th Pct, working evenings and midnights. By the end of September 2006, two positions opened up at the 114th Pct for the Roosevelt Island Post. I was the only person to actually apply for the spot. Another officer was also assigned as my partner, even though he wasn't seen too often on the island. As they say, it has been history ever since.
I was lucky enough to work alongside some great officers over the years. As a rookie in Public Safety, I learned to take bits of advice from each officer. Jimmy Knapp taught me a lot, but one of his best lessons for me was to treat everyone equally. Alan Wright taught me that everyone was allowed one bad day. He taught me not to take things personally if someone acted out, that they may just be going through a very difficult set of circumstances on that particular day. Alex Sefakakis taught me how to patrol the buildings diligently. These were all lessons to help me do my job correctly. I have always felt I learned the fundamentals for being a good Community Police Officer as a Public Safety Officer.
Over the last 13 years there have only been 6 officers sporadically posted on Roosevelt Island. In the mid 90s, it was Officer Sinnott, now a retired detective. In the late 90s it was Officer Muster, who could usually be seen riding a small NYPD Yamaha scooter. He is now a Sergeant. In the early 2000's, it was Officer Flippen, who transferred to the 111th Pct. Some time later in the early 2000s, for a brief time, it was Officer Luizzo, who could be seen patrolling on a bicycle on the seawalls or on foot in the buildings. Several years passed until Officer Sydlo and I were posted here in late September, 2006. I remained constant, and my productivity and supervisor’s evaluations reflect that.
It was a pleasure to be given the opportunity to work on Roosevelt Island all these years. I have tried to do my job to the best of my ability. I feel James Fry put it best in March 2002; “He always tried to do a simple, straightforward, conscientious, professional job, with no fanfare and no publicity.” Roosevelt Island residents that consider me a friend; know that I have always been quite approachable and a good listener. I have always gone above and beyond to help others with their problems.
I have completed six years of service with the NYPD and now have enough “time on the job” to move my career in a different direction. I will be accepting a position within the 114th Pct, which will further my career in the path I have decided to take it in. It is not likely that my position here will be filled, as every precinct in New York City is experiencing a staffing shortage. There is also the belief that working alone is a safety concern. Roosevelt Island will, and always has been covered as a sector of the 114 Pct.
So, to those who made the phone calls containing false allegations, I say, “Your malicious attempts to taint an officer’s career ended up doing a disservice to the community you were supposedly representing.” To those that appreciated me being here, I say “It was a pleasure to serve you.” Good luck in the future. In closing, I’d also like to thank the members of the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department, Director Keith Guerra, and Deputy Director Renee Bryan for their hospitality, camaraderie and support. I will sincerely miss you all.
25 comments :
Glad to see your leaving!!
I'm not. Poster above at 3:58 must be one of those who need to be watched. Anyone who knows the man, knows he was a great asset to this community. Now, we have no NYPD presence. Let's see how many times a patrol car comes around.
Poster from 3:58PM, how many times did he arrest you?
I'm surprised Officer Fernandez would choose to send a comment to the community at his departure, particularly one worded this way.
It's sad to see him go, but probably not appropriate to send a message like this one.
He's probably pissed about what went down here and what caused his reassignment. Understandable.
Officer Fernandez has written an excellent message to the RI community summing up his 13 years on the job here, the valuable lessons in community policing he learned from his fellow-officers through the years, and his hopes for continuing career advancement in Queens. In the opening and closing paragraphs of his message, Mr. Fernandez very clearly gives us the reasons for his departure, and his candor in setting the record straight, stands in contrast to Mr. Guerra's "explanation" of earlier this week. Mr. Fernandez gives as his reasons the twin purposes of seeking to exit what in his view had become a "toxic" community atmosphere fed by unproven allegation and innuendo while at the same time making a move to a posting offering enhanced career opportunities. In one stroke Mr. Fernandez leaves behind the controversy about his performance and simultaneously advances to the next step in his career of community service. This was perhaps the ideal resolution to the problem that was perceived by some to have arisen from Mr. Fernandez' service on RI. Not only is the source of the problem now gone, Mr. Fernandez also moves into a better posting. It is a win-win situation for all involved, it would appear.
(From a sociological point of view, it is instructive that even in the midst of what is probably the biggest US metropolitan area, you can still see traces of the small-town mentality that previously was the norm everywhere. There are many well-known literary and film works that draw on the sometimes "toxic" consequences of small-town life, too numerous to mention.)
Interestingly, there is nothing in Mr. Fernandez' message regarding the reason Mr. Guerra gave earlier this week for Mr. Fernandez' transfer to Queens, which is that RI's "low crime rate" does not warrant the posting of a NYPD officer on RI. Instead, in his message, Mr. Fernandez lists the reasons for his departure which do not include Mr. Guerra's "explanation" and states that it is because of NYPD staffing shortages there will be no replacement for him on RI. The reader is left to wonder about the crime rate and the need for police protection on RI - *is* the RI crime rate so "low" that we do not need police protection as Mr. Guerra stated earlier this week? Moreover, as we now see, the crime rate was definitely not the reason for Mr. Fernandez' departure; the reason was Mr. Fernandez' wishing to simultaneously advance his career and exit a "toxic" work environment. Nor is the crime rate the reason why Mr. Fernandez will not be replaced on RI (at least according to Mr. Fernandez) the reason no NYPD officer will be posted to RI is the NYPD staffing shortage. We can only wonder why Mr. Guerra indicated "low crime rate" was the reason for Mr. Fernandez' departure and non-replacement. Was Mr. Guerra's "explanation" only a tactful avoidance of the truth or was it in effect a cover-up? If so, are we not correct in wondering about the authenticity and motives of PSD pronouncements? We are left with the uncomfortable impression - again - that information is being manipulated by the PSD.
Of course it is appropriate for Officer Fernandez to be able to say goodbye after 13 years-- and tell us what really happened with RIRA.
Another idiotic, underhanded move by RIRA members (a few of them anyway)...
This is a tremendous loss to Roosevelt Island.
Officer Fernandez--best of luck to you, and thank you for your service.
Kate
i am happy to see him go . but its not because i am happy he is gone , i am happy that so many of you are upset to see him go . so i am happy that so many of you are upset , because i am upset about many things on this island and you dont care about the things that i am upset about . so now i am happy that you all ARE UPSET ABOUT THIS, , HA HA HA SO IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY ABOUT HIM GOING .I AM HAPPY. BECAUSE YOU ALL ARE UNHAPPY .ALSO THE RIRA ARE USELESS NO GOOD FOR NOTHING..BORED PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOTHING GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES.
JR, you are the same who has been trolling the rooseveltislander360 blog, right? Your punctuation looks familiar.
Yesterday, per Erin, Mr. Guerra gave as the reason for Officer Fernandez' departure the "low crime rate" on RI not warranting an NYPD officer. Today, with Mr. Fernandez' message, we see that to the contrary, Mr. Fernandez left because of the controversy re his performance and to advance his career at the Queens position. In addition, Mr. Fernandez states he will not be replaced because of the NYPD staff shortage. It seems the crime rate on RI has nothing to do with either Mr. Fernandez' departure or his non-replacement. So we still need clarification from Mr. Guerra re his statement yesterday - was he simply "making something up" about the "low crime rate" on RI not warranting a NYPD presence as a way of side-stepping the real reason for Mr. Fernandez' departure? If so, why did Mr. Guerra feel it necessary to "paper over" the departure and non-replacement of Mr. Fernandez with an explanation that had nothing to do with the truth. If not, why was the decision to discontinue NYPD presence on RI taken so suddenly just as Mr. Fernandez decided to accept the better position with no community advance notice or involvement in the decision. From this blog alone, it is clear there are many who do not wish to see NYPD services discontinued; they might at least have wanted a chance to voice their opinion on the matter before the decision for non-replacement was taken. Not only does the PSD continue to lose credibility by issuing questionable/misleading information, RI has also lost the protection of the NYPD, for reasons that apparently have nothing to do with our crime rate.
Thats just malarkey he asked for the 114th so he could come back with more power to get back at the community that tortured him Just to arive back on roosevelt island and get back at everyone with his drakonian demeaner and always with out fail a cold stair as he passes by with the crawl of a snail in his cop in a box. what we need to do is put up some stocks in front of the old Blackwell house and have him on display for all to see and the community to cast the last stone on the "cop" who couldn't face the mean streets and had to have the security of the of the precict that surves the island just to cary out his agenda of getting back with the ultimate power. If you ask me he should be transfered to another presict far away from here so he can't do anymore harm to the island.
Gregor, I love reading your posts because you sound extremely intelligent. However, I think on this thread, you are missing the boat. I did not see anywhere that Mr. Guerra stated the reason for P.O. Fernandez' departure being because of a low crime rate. As a matter of fact, I did not see a statement from Mr. Guerra at all.
What I did see was someone named Erin stating that "Chief Guerra also informed me that because of our low crime rate Officer Fernandez will not be replaced."
That's a totally different thing. Not replacing P.O. Fernandez because of a low crime rate is the perrogative of the 114th precinct - not Mr. Guerra. I was told by a PSD Officer n Main Street that Mr. Guerra very much wanted P.O. Fernandez to stay. His reasons for leaving were primarily because he felt he was not appreciated. Now, he also gets to advance his career. I'd say those are the 2 things Fernandez was thinking about.
@ anonymous 2:59 your comment made me laugh because it reminded me of my days as a young beat cop in Bay Ridge. I was accused of the 'intentional' slow drivng and the cold stare too. I can guarantee you it is not intentional. An observant police officer will maintain a slower speed as compared to normal traffic, we call this patrol speed. Most drivers only concern themselves with the car in front of them and the traffic signals. An observant officer can tell you if a car is coming into the intersection, a kid is chasing a ball in between two parked cars, what the guy on the stoop is wearing and doing. Mostly, a police officer is 'scanning' the scene, if something out of place draws his attention, he will take a closer look. For example, if two guys are in between buildings, the officer will visually check for suspicious bulges, packages, contraband, etc. You can't do this driving at 30 mph.
Some of your other comments made me laugh too. I must know, what is the ultimate power? Who uses the word malarkey? I see you have problems with authority. How many times did he arrest or summons you? Trust me, Roosevelt Island is not the 'mean streets.' And the word is spelled precinct.
2 things here:
1.) Our only NYPD Officer asked to be reassigned.
2.) The Officer is not being replaced.
I say turn your attention to the Precinct Commander and ask him for a replacement, safe neighborhood or not.
Sure seems to think a lot of himself.
Poster 6:05 is talking nonsense. An NYPD Police Officer does not issue any warrant upon anyone. The NYC/NYS court system inputs anybody who has failed to appear into a computer database. An automatic notification is given if a specific individual that was arrested to summonsed, has an open warrant. It is not the police officers fault that the computer was not updated or the individual did not take care of their issues like an adult.
The only difference between a public safety officer on Roosevelt Island and a NYPD Police Officer is that a PSD Officer cannot arrest someone solely on a warrant and a NYPD PO can. That is where the fine line of police difference derives from between PSD and NYPD. Oh and lets not forget one carries a firearm in performance of their duties and the other does not. So, it is your fault for not calling the most available law enforcement division on the Island which is public safety themselves. Perhaps you believe they cannot make arrests and take care of any crime you have been a victim of?
Your stories sound a bit exaggerated or how I really feel, made up.
For the official record, I am not PO Fernandez in defense.
Accusations made against any individual, either a police office, resident or anyone else based upon rumor or heresay by anonymous commentors will be deleted. It is simply not fair to let those charges remain published without evidence.
The comment at 6:05 was removed because there were several charges which were not backed up by any evidence regarding disciplinary action allegedly taken against the officer.
Other portions of the comment were clearly opinion which one could agree with or disagree and would not have been deleted had the accusations of improper behavior not been included.
I have known this fine young man both professionally and personally for several years. He has been a wonderful asset from NYPD to the Island, and the 'haters' and 'complainers' should really reconsider their comments. Having an NYPD presence here is a must, and I sure hope we get someone with his skills soon.
I don't think we will get anyone with his skills 2:51PM.
No other Officer wants this post; it must be quite boring here for a Cop and the shift he worked stinks.
This Community had a good thing, and like has been mentioned already, RIRA messed that up.
Thanks Erin, Romaine and the Public Safety Committee! Good going!
You will be terribly missed by all I'm sure!
How many Islanders have you protected? How many have you served? I have yet to hear one good deed you've accomplished in your 13 years of dedicated service. Dedicated to what, by the way?
I would argue that your departure will not be the cause of any significant changes on RI. If everything you've accomplished in the last 13 years on RI was undone in a single day, no one would even notice the difference. If Islanders will no longer benefit from the service you provided what will they be missing?
The only thing they will miss is the opportunity you had to redeem yourself.
I hope the new position will allow an intelligent and dedicated person such as yourself to be a more productive asset to society. I also hope you match that dedication and intelligence with good intentions.
Good luck, and thank you for your service that I callously dismissed earlier. 13 years is a long time regardless of anything else. If I had a problem when you were active here, I am sure you would have helped, I just hope you would have done so because of a genuine interest to help, rather than just advance your own career.
to poster 3:59pm - obviously his job was done correctly, his job is to deterr crime not report it. Would you have like a score board, a personal statement... maybe PO's should each have their very own blogs so that they can make sure people know they are doing their job. If you think about it out of the thousands of Police Officers in NYC we really do only hear about the bad ones or the dead ones.
It is hard to believe that RI, home to thousands, now does not contain even a single NYPD officer at all times. This is indicative of the lack of "pull" of our community that we cannot manage to even have a full-time NYPD police presence. The Residents Association seems to have a direct line to many elected officials such as Mr. Kellner, Ms. Maloney, and even Mr. Stringer - maybe the Residents Association should take the lead to request the restoration of a NYPD Officer on RI at all times. The crime rate all over the US has been dropping for years but Police Departments aren't folded or dismantled because of it. If the NYPD staffing shortage is the reason for the non-restoration of a NYPD officer at RI, then that begs the question who decides how the "scarce resource" of police assignments are allocated? We here on RI are paying enough in taxes as it is, for this we should have NYPD Officers full-time, this is what we are paying taxes for. Put another way: There are plenty of very low-crime neighborhoods in NYC such as the entire Northern belt of Queens -- Whitestone, Malba, and other neighborhoods such as Jamaica Estates, in Brooklyn Dyker Heights or Bay Ridge, in Staten Island Todt Hill, and the like. These neighborhoods often contain far fewer people than RI. Does anyone think for a minute that the residents of these neighborhoods would ever even consider letting regular police patrols and protection lapse -- because of their low crime rates or because the NYPD staffing shortage prevented a police officer from being assigned to their neighborhood. It will never happen because as few as they are in these neighborhoods, they are influential and organized and always see to it that they do receive the City services they are paying for by their hefty City & State taxes.
Now you all live in a place with no armed Police Officers and without the legal ability and means to defend yourselves.
Then figure into the equation that you're surrounded by those who'd rape, rob and pillage you in a heartbeat.
Nice place to live. lol
What are you trying to say? He did not offend me or anyone else I know. He expressed himself straight to the point and thanked many. He also had to be non offensive to certain islanders such as you, while letting the truth be known. He did not have to explain himself to anyone. A big thankyou for all he has done for us! Some of us need to be a little more gratefull and perhaps make some excursions off the island to sample what is reality and fiction. We lost a gem. This should have never happened.
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