The 49th Precinct’s new commander is hitting the ground running.
Capt. Timothy McCormack pretty much already knows the Morris Park, Van Nest and Allerton communities, having lived in neighboring Throggs Neck most of his life.
Now he’s reaching out to it to the community, seeking their involvement and ready to listen to their problems.
He recently emailed a lengthy list of community leaders, inviting them to connect and work closely with him, giving them his direct email.
McCormack admits he has big shoes to fill, after replacing Deputy Inspector Lorenzo (Andy) Johnson, transferred to command the busy 40th Precinct in Mott Haven, replacing McCormack’s younger brother, Deputy Inspector Chris McCormack, who managed dramatic drops in crime there before being transferred to the equally busy 46th Precinct in Morris Heights.
“I’ve got tough shoes to fill here,” the new 49th C.O. said of Johnson. “They love him. He did tremendous things for this community, and I have to continue that. It’s a very vocal community.”
McCormack already brings a wealth of experience to the job. While he looks young, the 47-year-old cop has 27 years jopb experience under his gunbelt. That includes a decade or more at the busy 44th Precinct in Highbridge, from patrolman to sergeant to lieutenant; a five-year stint in narcotics, detective squad commander, high level assignments in the organized crime control bureau and deputy commissioner of operations’ office working on citywide crime strategies; executive officer commands at the 46th and 47th precincts, and most recently running the Bronx Borough Task Force.
“When you sit in this seat, you need to have a broad base of policing experience,” he noted. “Your strategies change. You may be fighting violence, you may be fighting car breakins. You have to be able to say, ‘Hey, how do we fight this?’”
While the Four-Nine has been deemed one of, if not the safest precincts in the city, McCormack said his main priorities are to stem violence, especially involving street crews and gangs; reduce domestic violence, and deal with auto crime, with a recent rash of car breakins and thefts of expensive tire rims.
“My biggest thing, I came from a big family. You take the philosophy we learned as kids – it’s about giving back to the community,” the new commander said.
“When I’m reaching out to the various communities, whether it’s Van Nest or Morris Park, it’s that we need to build our base. I don’t want to see just the same faces coming in here all the time. We have to spread the word and get more volunteers.
“My perfect Utopia is zero crime. We’re slowly getting there.”
