New 52nd Precinct Commanding Officer Nilda Hofmann missed the precinct’s 10th annual Community Council Fellowship Recognition breakfast on Friday, October 25.
But the gathered crowd at Monroe College in Fordham couldn’t blame her.
As the Five Two honored its police officers of the year and praised the community for staying active, the 23-year veteran was in Lower Manhattan at 1 Police Plaza getting new gold eagles pinned on her uniform shoulders to newly promoted full inspector’s rank.
The 23-year police veteran moved up from the ranks from Deputy Inspector to Inspector, a move that, knows well, having shed the silver olive branch Deputy Inspector medal for his own gold eagle a few years back.
“When One Police Plaza calls, you gotta answer,” said the precinct’s former commander, Inspector Joseph Dowling. “ It takes a lot of work. She deserves it.”
The newly minted Inspector Hofmann will be put to the test in the coming months.
Hofmann’s top goal of slowing down shooting incidents in the area could prove difficult.
The precinct, which covers Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood and University Heights, has endured a 66% uptick in shooting incidents, and 38% increase in shooting victims so far this year.
Friday’s breakfast was delayed by an early morning shooting incident at Rochambeau Avenue and E. 206th Street in which shots were fired at police.
The night before, a 17-year-old high school student was fatally shot in the face on Jerome Avenue.
“We’ve had some outside people coming into our neighborhood with some violence, which we are addressing,” said Dowling.
At the breakfast, a number of officers were recognized for their achievements, including Office James Carron, who was honored as Cop of theYear for nabbing a bank robber minutes after the crime.
From his post on E. Fordham and Grand Concourse, waiting for backup, Carron saw a man matching the description of the robber walking in his direction.
The man was covered in the red dye from an exploding red dye pack in the stolen moneybags.
“It was very simple,” Carron said. “ Just being in the right place at the right time.”
Former community council president Sallie Caldwell, who handed over the reins to her daughter Brenda Caldwell-Paris, said “We feel that we’ve really brought the community together.”
