84th Precint ‘Cop of the Year’ has toughest job of all: Guiding Brooklyn’s kids

January 24, 2013 Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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It’s one of the toughest jobs in the Police Department, and NYPD’s Youth Officer Julius Hudson of Brooklyn’s the 84th Precinct carries it off with humility, integrity and patience.

On January 15 the 84th Precinct Community Council recognized Police Officer Hudson as “Cop of the Year” for his unstinting dedication to the kids of Brooklyn. The event was held at Brooklyn Borough Hall, where P.O. Hudson was presented with a plaque by the 84th Precinct’s Commanding Officer, Captain Maximo Tolentino; 84th Precinct Community Council President Leslie Lewis and Assemblywoman Joan Millman.

Officer Hudson has been working for the New York City Police Department for sixteen years, the last eight as a youth officer. His colleagues say he’s a dedicated officer who spends a lot of his own time after hours working with kids. Hudson has become an extended father figure and a voice of reason for many youngsters coming from broken homes.

“P.O. Hudson is a humble officer who extends himself to kids to help give them a chance when others have given up on them,” a police spokesperson said in a statement. He is “an authoritative figure, but he does have a teddy bear charm with the kids.”

“It’s hard to find a more useful job than that of Youth Officer to enhance the success of the partnership between the NYPD and our neighborhood youth,” Community Council President Lewis told the Brooklyn Eagle. “That relationship, along with Police Officer Hudson’s positive mentorship of these youth, will add valuable assets to their maturity, growth and character.”

Hudson runs the 84th Precinct’s Explorer program, guiding the youngsters and providing mentoring. The Explorers carry out community service, such as cleaning up neighborhood graffiti, and participate in charity events like the March of Dimes and Breast Cancer walks. The mission is to teach positive character traits, career development, leadership and life skills so they can make ethical choices and achieve their full potential.

Hudson’s Explorer group, Post 2084, logged more than 600 community service hours last year.

“When problems occur in their schools, he mediates the situation for the best outcome for the kid and school by teaching wrong and right, while being fair,” said the spokesperson.

PO Hudson is also involved in the youth summer program, which gives the kids something to do other then hanging out. All year long he’s involved in Cops for Kids. He also teaches in the Law Enforcement Academy. Hudson is known for encouraging other officers to play basketball and football with kids in an official league, the department said.

Last year Hudson was one of several cops honored by District Attorney Charles Hynes for volunteering hours of his own time to serve the youth in the community.