The 49th Precinct Community Council will honor police officers and community leaders who have made a difference at its upcoming breakfast.
The council that works hand-in-hand with precinct will hold its 28th annual awards breakfast at Maestro’s Caterers on Friday, May 20.
Joe Thompson, council president, said that civilians honored at the breakfast will be Edith Blitzer, Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association founder who will be the recipient of the Tom Twyman Citizen Award; Steven Squitieri, owner of Sanitation Salvage Corporation who’ll receive the Business Fellowship Award; as well as a special recognition award to Joe Bombace, who goes door-to-door to collect merchant donations for the precinct’s National Night Out in August and for the breakfast.
Participatants in the precinct’s annual holiday food drive – P.S. 83, P.S. 108, P.S. 105, P.S./M.S. 498, P.S. 481, Cub Scout Pack 162, 49th Precinct Explorers and the Solano family – will also take home special recognition awards.
“What I like most about it is the diversity of people and groups that come to the breakfast,” said Thompson, who added that the precinct council tries to keep it as local as possible.
“We don’t ask for heavy brass from downtown,” said the precinct council president. “We ask for the borough commander and the district attorney; this is all Bronx and these are members of our community.”
The 49th Precinct’s commanding officer, Captain Keith Walton, selected four officers to share this year’s Cop of the Year award, said Thompson.
Those four top cops are: Lieutenant Kishon Hickman, Sergeant Ryan Hughes, Detective David Revans and police officer Daisy Rivera.
In addition, according to Thompson, the event will also bestow awards on Police Administrative Aide of the Year Carmen Baez, Auxiliary Officer of the Year William Datoma and Explorer of the Year Caren Guzman.
Edith Blitzer was chosen as the Citizen of the Year after being on a short-list to receive the award last year, said the precinct council president.
She and the PPNA have been instrumental in getting a surveillance camera at Cruger and Lydig avenues, and also in reporting suspicious activity.
“Edith is the perfect person for this,” she said. “ She has put in a lot of hours and dedication to making her community a better place.”
Blitzer said she was happpy to be recognized, but that awards are not necessary to keep her working on behalf of the community.
“It feels wonderful and I am very flattered,” she said, adding “I don’t do this to get awards, I have a wall full of awards…it is just important to keep the community where it should be.”
The organization she help found works closely with the precinct when something is going on that doesn’t seem right.
“The police can’t be everywhere at one time, so it is up to us to notify them to keep up the standard for quality of life in our area,” she said.
For more information on the breakfast, reach out to Thompson at (718) 881-3086.
