By Brendan Browne
Two Hillcrest High School students found out what it is like to fight crime in Queens last week.
Shah Alam, 16, and Tolulope Oke, 15, and 126 other students from around the city were sworn in as cops for day at One Police Plaza in Manhattan after they were named winners in a citywide Police Athletic League essay contest.
The rookie cops got to shake hands with Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who commended their essays, which formulated strategies for police recruitment. He also encouraged the students to come back to the force after they earn college degrees.
“This is an effort to reach out to the community and acquaint them with the services” the police provide, said Deputy Chief Dewey Fong of the 107th Precinct, which provided officers to spend the day with Alam of Queens Village and Oke of Far Rockaway. “We’re trying to develop a good rapport with the community.”
Alam was honored to serve as commander of Patrol Borough Queens South, which includes the 100th, 103rd, 105th, 107th, and the 113th precincts. He wrote in his essay that the Police Department should start a television ad campaign, hand out fliers, and introduce young adults to crime victims who were aided by cops.
Oke, who served as commanding officer of the 107th Precinct for the day, said the police should promote the job by highlighting the good work they do and the perks cops receive such as excellent benefits and paid vacation.
Both students expressed admiration for police courage and the sacrifices the department made on Sept. 11.
“To not even think of your own life and to rush in a burning building, that’s really brave,” said Oke, referring to the World Trade Center. When asked if she would like to be a cop, she said, “No, it’s too dangerous to me. You have to be really brave to go out on the streets. I don’t think I could do that.”
“I think they’re heroes because they save so many people and stuff,” said Alam, remembering when the police helped his father after he was shot with by a BB-gun. “They’re really brave.”
The two got a glimpse into the life of the police, starting when officers from the 107th Precinct picked them up at their school in a police van to take them to Manhattan. Kelly handed out plaques to the students as they walked across the stage at Police Plaza, which is considered an honor reserved only for special events.
After the ceremonies, the students went to the Police Museum to learn about the history of police work and then were taken back to precincts all over the city. All the precincts in Queens hosted students. Alam and Oke got to tour the 107th Precinct in Pomonok, visiting the central command center, empty jail cells, fingerprinting room, and captain’s office.
Alam and Oke are enrolled as sophomores in the Jamaica Hills high school’s pre-med program and hope to become doctors. But television shows such as Fox’s “American’s Most Wanted” and CBS’s “Crime Scene Investigation” have made them fans of police work and Oke may want to work as a forensic scientist.
In another public outreach effort, Patrol Borough Queens South was scheduled to hold its annual “Harmony Picnic” for kids on July 23 at Baisley Park at 150th Street and the Belt Parkway in South Jamaica.
Reach reporter Brendan Browne by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 155.
