04/12/08 - Awards go to the five members of the police department's Neighborhood Resource section.

Resource officers honored

Reporter:

Hoa Nguyen
Greenwich Time - Staff Writer

Quote:

"All they told me was 'You're going to be at a conference and answering questions,' " Rivera said moments after learning he and the other officers were to be honored for outstanding police work as part of the Dr. John A. Clarke award luncheon.

Story:

Antonio Rivera and fellow neighborhood resource officers arrived at Luca's Steakhouse Thursday afternoon unclear about what they were doing there...

...students and educators and assist in investigations where neighborhood tips can play an important role.

"They do a lot of community outreach," Police Chief David Ridberg said. "I get nothing but very positive feedback."

Several of the officers -- Rivera, Hirsch and Reynolds -- also are natives of the town, which gives them an insider perspective of Greenwich in addition to their vast knowledge of the law, police procedures and emergency response techniques.

For instance, Hirsch, 34, a 10-year veteran of the force, was born and raised in Glenville and now is assigned to work that western sector of town. Rivera, 43, a 19-year-veteran, lived in Banksville as a child before moving to Adams Garden in Old Greenwich. He is responsible for covering the northern sector of town,...

...One of the unique parts of being a neighborhood officer is the certain level of freedom officers have to initiate programs, said McKiernan, 37, an 11-year veteran of the force. For instance, he and Hirsch were lamenting one day about the lack of recruiting brochures the department had for students, so they created one and then attended college job fairs where they talked to students about the benefits of becoming a police officer.

"The freedom and the level of trust we had was what we enjoyed," McKiernan said....

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01/11/08 - This What The Welcome Sign To Byram Looked Like Before Mike Bocchinoke Became President Of The Byram Nieghborhood Association

Click Here To See How The Sign And Vest Pocket Park Looks like After Mike Bocchino, became President Of The Byram Neighborhood Association.

Crimes prompt call to add patrols in Byram
Oct 7, 2007 Stamford Advocate

By Martin B. Cassidy
Stamford Advocate

Spurred by recurring cycles of burglaries, vandalism, and other crimes in their neighborhood, Byram leaders want the town to put more police officers on patrol in their neighborhood.

Recent crimes ranging from a home invasion on Byram Road, to a wave of 26 car break-ins in Byram this spring and a spate of gang-related graffiti from December to May of this year have prompted concerns about safety, Byram Neighborhood Association President Michael Bocchino said.

The tires slashed on more than two dozen cars on South Water Street overnight last Saturday reflects a fearless attitude among vandals and criminals visiting or living in Byram, Bocchino said.

'We're hopeful the town realizes that the communities need more police presence,' Bocchino said. 'I'm damn well sure this western end of town is in need of some more police presence, whether it be Byram, Glenville, Pemberwick, Chickahominy, or wherever.' ....

'I don't go up to the other end of South Water Street now because of all the roughnecks,' Lawrence M. Finnigan, a resident of South Water Street said. 'In some ways Byram is becoming like Bridgeport with all the roughnecks.'

One of the tire slashing victims, Omar Silva, also a South Water Street resident, said the act has raised his concerns about how safe the area is.

'Until this weekend I wasn't worried, but now I am more concerned about it,' Silva said.
Finnigan said an extra patrol car passing through Byram on an hourly basis would probably help curb nighttime vandalism and problems with youth.

'It wouldn't hurt to have a patrol car coming through more often,' Finnigan said. 'Sometimes all you have to do is swing by.'

Ideally residents would like to see police create a substation at the Byram Volunteer Fire Department on Delavan Avenue to respond to calls, Bocchino said.

.....Despite the apparent gang references in the graffiti and some disruptive and wayward teens in downtown Byram on weekend nights, police feel juvenile problems in the area are not the result of gang activity, Ridberg said.

'There were some indications that the graffiti was gang-related and as far back as two years ago we started doing gang intelligence in Byram,' Ridberg said. 'We were aggressive in trying to crack down on social problems down there, and we don't think it's the result of gangs.'

Bocchino said the Byram Neighborhood Association plans to put the question about safety in Byram to candidates for the Board of Selectmen in an upcoming debate.

'It's definitely something which we will bring to the candidates in the upcoming election,' Bocchino said. 'People are angry and frustrated and want action.'

Now Just 93 Days Later Byram Neighborhood Association President Mike "The Flip Flopper" Bocchino has changed his tune and sold out the residents of Byram.

Today in The Greenwich Time Mike "The Flip Flopper" Says....

"As for the Greenwich Police Department, I personally and publicly thank Chief David Ridberg and his officers, especially Sgt. Mike Reynolds, Officers Keith Hirsch, Antonio Rivera and Robert McKiernan, and Detective Mark Zuccerella, for all of their outstanding work in the Byram community and the entire town of Greenwich.

Let's face facts: The world is changing and things are not as they once were. As the population around us grows and with our proximity to New York, our town will unfortunately continue to see its share of vandalism and crime, like it or not"

In the last 93 days Byram has had even more vandalism and gang graffiti.

Worse yet, Byram residents have been mugged near Johnny Cakes.

Byram is going down the tubes, because we have leaders like Mike "the flip flopper" Bocchino.

Mike "The Flip Flopper" Bocchino has forgotten all about his show boating for the Greenwich time calling for more police patrols and a police substation in Byram.

Just 93 days ago Mike "The Flip Flopper" Bocchino was telling reporter Martin B. Cassidy.....

'People are angry and frustrated and want action.'

- Mike "The Flip Flopper" Bocchino

October 7th

Now Mike "The Flip Flopper" Bocchino says ...

"As the population around us grows and with our proximity to New York, our town will unfortunately continue to see its share of vandalism and crime, like it or not. "

- Mike "The Flip Flopper" Bocchino

January 10 th.