Fresh off of her induction as chief of NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, Commanding Officer Judith Harrison joined members of her unit on Monday to giveaway food to hungry locals outside Brooklyn North headquarters in Bushwick.
Succeeding longtime chief Jeffrey Maddrey, Harrison assumed the role at the end of June — making history as the first woman to serve as commanding officer of the unit, and one of just four Black women to become a chief in the Police Department’s history.
Her ascendence comes amid competing demands about the future of the department, with protesters calling to “defund” the police, and cop-defendants clamoring for an increase of police presence around the city.
Adding the the complexity of Harrison’s new job, three of the seven major crime categories have seen a year-over-year increase in Brooklyn North’s 10 precincts — murder, burglary, and grand larceny auto. Shootings are up more than 70 percent in her jurisdiction, according to NYPD statistics.
As the city continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus and combats an uptick in crime across the Five Boroughs, Harrison said, it is more important than ever to pay it forward.
“We are happy to be giving back to the community,” Harrison told Brooklyn Paper as she helped volunteers with Garden of Eden Marketplace pass out boxes of fresh produce and dairy products.
In all, the Department and grocers doled out over 60 boxes of food on the heels of a weekend heatwave.
“It is important this community has food,” Jolene Miranda of Garden of Eden said. “We are glad to be helping out along with the NYPD.”
