The commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, Deputy Inspector James Alles, will be retiring in the middle of next month.

Though Alles is still technically on active duty, the head of the Five-Two has been replaced on an interim basis by his second in command, Captain Phil Rivera, who will remain in charge until a replacement is found.

For the past six months, Alles has missed several weeks of work because of an undisclosed illness that has required a series of surgeries, according to Community Affairs Officer Wilson Hernandez.

At a meeting last week, members of Community Board 7, which presides over a district contiguous with the 52nd Precinct, complained about police response times and a lack of attention to quality-of-life issues such as graffiti, noise and prostitution. They also lamented that, despite several invitations, Alles had never spoken or appeared at a Board 7 meeting.

Hernandez, who usually attends the meetings on behalf of the Five-Two, responded to the criticism partly by telling the crowd that Alles will be retiring at the end of September and that Rivera will be in charge until a replacement is found.
He added that the precinct is stretched thin because of manpower issues, which often leaves quality-of-life calls lower on the priority list.

One of the rumors floating around the precinct was that the head of the smaller and less busy 50th Precinct, John J. Dadamo, might be transferred to the Five-Two, Hernandez said. Calls to the 52nd Precinct and NYPD headquarters were not returned by press time.

In early 2007, Alles, 47, was transferred to the 52nd Precinct after a successful stint in the east Bronx’s 45th Precinct.

During Alles’ tenure, crime, at least in terms of the seven major crime statistics released publicly (murder, rape, car theft, grand larceny, robbery, felony assault and burglary), has remained flat, though grand larcenies spiked significantly last year.

But quality-of-life issues have become increasingly problematic to neighborhood residents and Alles has been criticized by Board 7 and others, for not being present at community meetings. He did, however, address community concerns at two public safety meetings, one in November of 2007 and another in January of this year, both at Our Lady of Refuge Church on East 196th Street.