New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill, Bronx Borough President Rubén Diaz Jr., and the New York City Police Foundation today at the Bronx Community College’s Roscoe C. Brown Student Center Playhouse launched #MyBronxStory, a new campaign that aims to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The campaign invites Bronx residents to submit photos, videos, and other media to honor the history of their borough and prominent figures in their communities, as well as help identify ways that their neighborhoods can be improved through engagement with community partners and law enforcement.
To help promote the program to Bronx residents, the New York City Police Foundation and the NYPD are working with local schools, businesses, and organizations. Several of these Bronx community partners participated in the kick-off festivities including groups from the Renaissance Youth Center, Bronx High School for the Visual Arts, and renowned photographer Joe Conzo.
“The people who are most attuned to what’s happening in our neighborhoods are those who live and work here every day,” said Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “With the latest installment of this story campaign launching here in the Bronx, members of the NYPD are truly excited about connecting with the public we serve. We previously saw in Brooklyn that the benefit of fostering such positive relationships between the police and the community is a shared responsibility for fighting crime and keeping people safe, in every corner of our great city.”
“#MyBronxStory is a great initiative that brings Bronx residents closer to the police department and to one another by sharing what they love about their neighborhoods and how they are working to make their community’s a better place. I thank New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill, and the New York City Police Foundation for launching this innovative new program, and for their continued efforts to strengthen police/community relationships,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Applicants can submit their entries via www.mynycstory.org/bronx through September 29, 2017. The New York City Police Foundation is providing prizes for winning submissions.
“The New York City Police Foundation is thrilled to support #MyBronxStory to see how Bronx residents pay tribute to their neighborhoods, honor the people who make them exceptional, and help identify ways that communities and law enforcement can continue to work together to make the Bronx even stronger,” said Susan Birnbaum, New York City Police Foundation President and CEO. “We are so encouraged by the responses we received with #MyBrooklynStory, not just from residents who sent in submissions, but also the support from local businesses and neighborhood institutions who committed to being active participants in their borough. As we continue to expand the campaign throughout New York City we need everyone – residents, neighborhood leaders, and law enforcement – to work together to make all five boroughs of New York City safe places to live, work, and visit.”
#MyNYCStory launched in Brooklyn in late 2016 and will expand to all boroughs in the coming months. For more information visit www.mynycstory.org/bronx.
About the New York City Police Foundation
The New York City Police Foundation provides strategic resources in support of NYPD initiatives that make New York City a safer place to live, work, and visit. The NYPD’s budget covers most expenditures for operations, personnel, facilities and equipment, but leaves little to finance innovative initiatives. The Police Foundation invests in programs that are designed to help the NYPD keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, strategies, and training that could not get funded in the city budget.
By supplying seed capital for numerous pilot programs, the NYPD is able to create model programs that stimulate and accelerate innovation to fight crime. Once established, these programs are often expanded and incorporated into the city’s budget, leveraging the Foundation’s initial investment many times over and having a major impact on NYPD operations.
The New York City Police Foundation is the only organization authorized to raise funds on behalf of the NYPD.
Police Foundation’s partnership with the NYPD in action:
· The Foundation supports counterterrorist initiatives that include the International Liaison Program, which stations NYPD Investigators around the world to gather global intelligence for the protection of New York City.
· All rewards for the Crime Stoppers and Gun Stop programs, which have assisted the NYPD in solving over 5,600 violent crimes and seizing more than 3,500 illegal weapons, are paid by the Foundation.
· The Foundation supports the Neighborhood Policing community engagement activities to improve relations between the police and the communities they serve and to continue to drive crime down.
