Editorial: NYPD Must Win the Public Over Through NCO

The 52nd Precinct rolled out its Neighborhood Coordination Officer (NCO) program, falling under its Neighborhood Policing Plan, a commendable patrol program in which a handful of cops will permanently stay within a segment of a precinct to derail crime (see the front page story on the introduction of the program). The new role officers have adopted is nearly akin to a small-town sheriff—they know everyone and everyone knows them. For the pair of officers immersing themselves in the respective neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, University Heights, Fordham and Kingsbridge Heights, interfacing with the public can be awkward, maybe uncomfortable for

By DANIELA BEASLEY

A proposal for a new BP gas station on West Fordham Road was met with strong opposition and little support from the community board whose jurisdiction covers the gas station. The gas station would be replacing a 55-space parking lot at 205 W. Fordham Rd. by Sedgwick Avenue. The plan lays out the gas station as having five pumps, a canopy and three curb cuts serving as entrances and exits. The placement of the curb cuts is what troubled Community Board 7’s Land Use/Housing Committee with respect to driver safety. West Fordham Road, a major thoroughfare, has cars traveling past

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their plans for the upcoming summer season. Well, I’m planning to get a few extra credits at my school so I can graduate earlier. Having some fun, celebrating my holiday Ramadan, in which we fast for the entire month. It starts on June 6 and ends July 6. And I will help take care of my dad’s two stores and try and have a little fun. Mohammed Abdullah Zerega I’m going to rest, relax and enjoy the weather until the cold comes back. In Norwood, I like coming to the Williamsbridge Oval Park where I

Question from client: “So when is the best time to take my Social Security?” Answer (in my head): “Well, I don’t know Mr Jack, let me just pull that number out of a hat.” Actually, a great question. And one with straightforward answer. Especially today, as the Social Security Administration has just changed the rules and they are even more complex. But let’s start with the basics: You can take it as young as 62 and as old as 70. What will change? The amount of payments and the dollar size. Now, whether you should start to receive Social Security

Vivian R. Carter, the boisterous sales person for the Norwood News, has parted with the bi-weekly community newspaper and now serving as director of communications for local Councilman Andrew Cohen. Ms. Carter embodied the spirit of community. Working on a modest commission, she invested hours into the almost 28-year-old newspaper, offering a wealth of ideas, attending community cultural events, and lending a wealth of personal knowledge to the newsroom. Ms. Carter worked in the fields of law (she had worked alongside current U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch) and education before focusing her attention on the history of Rockaway, a neighborhood

Dear Fellow Readers, The multi-award winning Norwood News, bringing you plenty of community news you can use is out with its latest edition. We have 20 packed pages full of news, with one page devoted to several nods the paper received within the last first. As usual, we take you to page one, and a story about a notorious landlord who faces mounting pressure from Bronx tenants looking to improve their buildings’ quality of life. Tatyana Turner tells you all she knows about Ved Parkash, who owns some 40 residences in the Bronx. Definitely worth a read. Inside the cover, an

By TATYANA TURNER

The results are in! A local grassroots group has finally gotten a clearer idea of how to a plant a greener future for a neighborhood park. The Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP) tallied the results of a survey and found Norwood wants a new comfort station, improved lighting, and renovated water features for Kossuth Playground, which opened in 1930. To bring the proposal to life, FOMP reached out to the office of Councilman Andrew Cohen, who represents Norwood, and Partnerships for Parks to help organize an event that would allow residents to voice the needs for Kossuth Playground. “We had

It was a big night for the Norwood News, picking up three awards at the 14th annual Ippies Awards on June 2. The awards ceremony, sponsored by the Center for Community and Ethnic Media and CUNY School of Journalism, is the only awards show to honor multi-language newspapers and community press. The almost 28-year-old newspaper once again took home a First Place prize for Best Small Circulation Publication, this time tying with The Riverdale Press. “Both Bronx news outlets prove that small independent news outlets that serve their communities well can survive and thrive in this era of journalistic turbulence,” read Tom Robbins,

By David Greene

This week we asked readers their thoughts on the cause of the nagging logjam in the New York State Court System and their suggestions for a solution. When a person is indicted for a crime, let’s say involuntary manslaughter, and he goes into the system, first he’s arraigned and he sees the judge. Then they postpone it until he sees his lawyer. If the procedure is a, b and c, then it’s a good thing. But it depends on the individual. If he was born with a silver spoon [in his mouth], nine times out of 10 he will get