At a meeting Wednesday night in Jamaica, auxiliary cops from the 103rd Precinct had a chance to air their grievances, in the face of the recent revelation that they may have their parking placards pulled. Auxiliary police have had a rough time in the city over the past year. The program was foisted into the spotlight in March 2007, when two auxiliary officers were gunned down while pursuing a suspect.
This tragic case resulted in heightened sensitivity about the program, and led to changes — including the distribution of bulletproof vests among the volunteer corps. Last month, auxiliary representatives protested at the steps of City Hall over the denial of death benefits for the families of the officers killed.
In Jamaica last Wednesday, officers gathered at the Scarlet Ibis restaurant to talk about what they feel is a pattern of disrespect on the part of the city. “They serve as the eyes and ears of the police force, yet they can be shunned on a little thing like the parking placard,” said 103rd Precinct Council President Donna Clopton.
She’s even heard stories recently of volunteers out on patrol in parts of Jamaica, coming back to their cars to find parking tickets from traffic officers on patrol in the same region.
For more, go to the full article at the Queens Chronicle:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19493453&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574905&rfi=
