Cunningham Park

The Daily Plant : Thursday, February 19, 2009

Queens Park Supervisor Goes "Beyond The Call"


Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

The Beyond the Call winners for January are Park Supervisor James Brophy along with our partners at the Business Integrity Commission, the Queens District Attorney’s Office, and the 107th Precinct:

Judge Richard Brown, Queens County District Attorney
Kathy Kane, Assistant District Attorney
Michael Mansfield, Commissioner, NYC Business Integrity Commission
Deputy Commissioner Ron Cohen, NYC Business Integrity Commission
LT Dennis Klein, Precinct 107, Precinct Detective Squad
Melissa Ballard, DOI

On November 14, James was making his rounds in Cunningham Park when he noticed suspicious trucks idling nearby. Thinking that something wasn’t right, James wisely wrote down their descriptions and license plate numbers.

The following day, five brand-new, freshly painted 20- yard waste containers were discovered missing from our wood chipping yard. This theft of nearly $40,000 in equipment was particularly brazen in that it required an extensive and time-consuming container truck operation.

Queens reported the theft quickly and James relayed his tip information. Over the next few weeks, a joint investigation involving the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the Business Integrity Commission, NYPD Precinct 107, and the Department of Investigation (DOI) was launched. The Business Integrity Commission (BIC) works to eliminate the influence of organized crime in the city’s waste hauling industry. BIC investigators followed James’ tip to a trucking company working at the World Trade Center site. When they conducted surveillance of the site, they found two trucks attached to the missing Parks containers. Interviews with the drivers led them to gain information on the whereabouts of the remaining containers. The investigation ultimately led to the arrest of two men and the retrieval of all stolen Parks property.

James’ is honored for his keen eye and the work of all agencies involved in this unique and successful coordination effort.


QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“I never dared to be radical when young
For fear it would make me conservative when old.”

Robert Frost
(1874 – 1963)

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Cunningham Park: (718) 217-6452