84th Precinct cop a hero to cyclists on Brooklyn’s dangerous Adams Street
Police officer Jojy Chacko, left, received the 84th Precinct Community Council’s Cop of the Month award for October 2024 from the 84th’s Commanding Officer Capt. Thomas Maffei. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — This cop is a hero to the thousands of cyclists who ride along the notorious Adams Street bike lane in Downtown Brooklyn.
The 84th Precinct’s police officer Jojy Chacko has made a significant dent in the rampant illegal parking on a dangerous section of the bike lane running from Fulton Street to the Adams Street Service Road — and for that he received the 84th Precinct Community Council’s Cop of the Month award for October. The award was presented by the 84th’s Commanding Officer Capt. Thomas Maffei on Nov. 19 at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
“This will be a fan favorite for some and probably a hindrance to others,” Maffei told the crowd at the meeting, referring to the thousands of 311 complaints that have been filed over the past 15 years about vehicles parked — and double parked — in the lane, including official vehicles.
“Upon returning to the command about a year ago, something that I observed was the 84th gets a lot of 311 complaints, the second-most in the borough — close to 24,000. Most of those complaints are parking-related,” Maffei said. “When you combine that with the 911 calls we get, also second in the borough — over 100,000 — it was apparent that the officers did not have enough time to properly address 311 complaints.”
Many of the complaints referred to the hazardous stretch in the vicinity of 345 Adams St., Maffei noticed. He assigned Officer Chacko to take on the daunting task.
“Since he assumed that role, he has done an excellent job in enforcement and also in engineering at 345 Adams St.,” Maffei said. “The bike lane was chronically covered and blocked by cars. In February of this year we put in traffic cones that were manned and maintained, and after a few months, we were able to get new flexible stick pillars driven into the ground.”
According to Maffei, enforcement and summonses issued in the area since the installation jumped by a large percentage. “Bus stops, bike lanes, crosswalks — and my favorite, double parking. When a car double parks, it really affects a lot of the area.”
Best of all, Chacko’s consistent enforcement of the rules helped bring down the accident rate year-to-date by 3%, according to Maffei. “For these reasons, we award Officer Chacko the 84th Precinct Community Council’s Cop of the Month award for October,” he said.
Transportation Alternatives, which tracks the installation of protected bike lanes, noted in September the “unannounced upgrade with flex posts” on the stretch of roadway. Now, cyclists know who to thank.
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