Meet the New Commanding Officer of the 78th Police Precinct: Captain Michael Ameri

On December 19, 2011, Captain Michael Ameri became the new commanding officer of the 78th Police Precinct.

Captain Ameri was most recently the commanding officer of the Queens Vice Enforcement Division of the Organized Crime Control Bureau, which focuses on prostitution, gambling, untaxed cigarettes and licenses and premises.

He has also served as the commanding officer of the Brooklyn North Narcotics Module. 

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly designated Captain Ameri, who has been a Captain for eight years, to his new post as head of the 78th, which covers ParkSlope, parts of Gowanus and a small sliver of Prospect Heights near Bergen Street and Sixth Avenue, where the station is located (see precinct map).

While being on the force for almost two decades, Ameri has seen a lot of action—he has been serving the NYPD for 18 years—but he is excited about his promotion. 

“This new position, however, will be my greatest accomplishment and my greatest challenge,” Ameri said in an interview in his office last week. “Being designated the commanding officer of the 78th Police Precinct is a great honor.”

Ameri was born in Ozone Park, Queens, raised on Long Island and was living in Astoria for five years before recently moving back to the Island.

For Ameri, Park Slope—his new territory—is an exciting place to be a cop. 

“The people of the community expect quality service from their local precinct, whether it is accident reports or quality of life complaints, they care about their community,” Ameri said. “They are a very civic-minded community.

“As the precinct’s commanding officer, I will rise to their needs,” he added.

The Captain said that a major aspect of his neighborhood is —one of the biggest greenspaces in the city—and it requires keen attention to ensure people can enjoy quality and safe use of the park, he said.

“I see it as a very safe park, over the years crime has gone down, but I will make sure there is a visible police presence at all times,” Ameri noted.

Ameri outlined goals he has set for himself as the new top cop of Park Slope.   

“I think the community needs to be educated in crime prevention techniques, specifically when it comes to electronic devices being stolen,” Ameri said, noting that there has been a city-wide phenomenon of criminals stealing iPhones, iPods and BlackBerries right out of victim’s hands, and Park Slope has seen a major spike in this particular type of crime.

“People need to be aware of their surroundings when they are utilizing their electronic devices. We don’t want people to be victims when they are talking and texting,” he said during the interview. “You need to be aware of who is behind you and who is in front of you, especially when you are coming out of the subway, you need to be alert.”

The Captain said that robberies of this kind happen often, but they are easily prevented so long as you keep your eyes open and not entranced by the illuminated little screen in your hand. 

“I think people feel relatively safe in this neighborhood, but people seem to be taking safety for granted,” Ameri explained. “Everyone needs to realize that they are living in a major metropolis and they can be a victim of a crime.” 

Ameri said that the best way to catch a criminal is to have the best possible witnesses, and the best witness is the victim.

He said he encourages anyone who is a victim of a crime or a witness to come forward with any information and cooperate with investigators.

“We cannot do our job without the community,” Ameri stated.

Keeping crime down, Ameri said, is his number one job. Although crime has decreased in Park Slope in the last 18 years a whopping 75 percent, crime in the neighborhood has increased 1.2 percent in 2011.

“A 1.2 percent uptick is very slight, considering the great decrease we have accomplished over the years,” Ameri said, explaining that there were only 10 more crimes in 2011 compared to 2010. “Any increase is alarming, but when you look at the statistics and you get the full picture, you realize crime is down. Crime is steadily declining.”

The most notable increases were in robberies and felony assaults. Ameri said the number of robberies increased due to iPhone and iPod thefts. But felony assaults went up because the legal definition of what make an assault a felony changed.

Now, if you strangle someone and leave a mark, scratch or bruise on the victim’s neck, it is a felony. A year ago the same crime was a misdemeanor.

Overall and across the board, the rest of the crime categories saw big decreases: burglaries went down 25 percent, grand larceny decreased 1 percent and there was a 17 percent decrease in stolen vehicles. 

In the last ten years, Park Slope has seen a 35 percent decrease in crime, with a 3.3 percent decrease in the last two years.

When asked what his most dangerous job in his 18 years of being a cop, Ameri gave a small laugh: 

“I do not want to get into the cops-and-robbers stuff,” he said. “I just do my job.”