Central Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, August 8, 2003

CENTRAL PARK COMMEMORATES NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

On the gusty evening of August 5, with rain lingering in the air, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined the Central Park Precinct and more than 30 million people across the nation in commemorating the 20^th Annual National Night Out Against Crime (NNO). At over 75 locations throughout the five boroughs, New Yorkers gathered to pay tribute to the New York City Police Department and its community partners in their efforts to eliminate crime from the streets, public spaces, homes and businesses of New York City.

Commissioner Benepe offered a few words about the significance of the National Night Out to the welfare of New York City residents. He stressed the dramatic changes that have taken place in Central Park over the last 20 years. He gave credit for its dramatic improvement to the hard work of the Central Park Precinct in cooperation with the Central Park Conservancy. He also underscored that we should never take such beauty and safety for granted. NNO gives us the opportunity to thank those who work hard to keep our city safe. Following his remarks, Commissioner Benepe read a proclamation from Mayor Bloomberg declaring August 5, 2003 New York City’s National Night Out.

New York City residents have been fortunate over the past few years –the City has seen a precipitous drop in crime levels, considered to be the safest big city in the country. Under Mayor Bloomberg’s Administration, the crime rate continues to decline. In the Central Park Precinct particularly, crime in all areas is down. To cite but a few statistics, from 1993 to 2002, robberies have decreased by 82.8%, Felony Assaults by 62.1% and Grand Larceny Theft Auto by 90.9%.

More than 150 people were present at the event. Among them were David Cohen, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence for the NYPD; Michael Sheehan, Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism for the NYPD; Captain Karin Azadian and Captain Yick Lee of the Central Park Police Precinct; Neil Calvanese, Vice President for Operations for Central Park Conservancy; Rick Tombari, a Police Officer from the Central Park Precinct’s Community Affairs office; Dave Giordano from the Central Park Precinct’s Crime Prevention division; members of the Central Park Precinct Community Council Board; Bill Silver, from the Community Services office of the New York Road Runners Club; Loren Finkelstein, President of the Central Park Skate Patrol and Alan Kurtz from Tavern on the Green.

Neil Calvanese was pleased with the turnout at the event. "It was a pleasure to see so many of the people who work to make the park safer come together and receive acknowledgement for their efforts," he said.

Rick Tombari, one of the organizers of the event, commented on why National Night Out is so important for the average New Yorker: "It is a good way for people to get information on crime prevention and personal safety tips, as well as to find out about crime-prevention programs in their communities."

The National Night Out Against Crime is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, a non-profit organization that over the past two decades has worked to develop and promote law enforcement-affiliated crime and drug prevention programs.

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