Cop Averts Tragedy, Wins 114th Cop Of The Month
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Despite her diminutive stature, 114th Police Precinct Police Officer Stavroula (Stephanie) Choriatis stood very tall as Cop of the Month. Choriatis was one of three officers cited for actions taken during the month of October at the November meeting of the 114th Precinct Community Council.

Responding to an assault in progress on October 8, Choriatis confronted an emotionally disturbed person who came at her with a knife. "She used her head," said Inspector Brian McCarthy, commanding officer of the 114th Precinct. "She refrained from using her firearm and was able to restrain this person with the use of a Taser."

Starting in 2005 after a pilot program, NYPD patrol commands are now equipped with Tasers, a less lethal device. Tasers are weapons that affect the central nervous system by imitating the electrical impulses used within the human body. In effect, they are dart-firing stun guns that are effective with a hit anywhere on the body.

According to police guidelines, police officers fire their guns only when they or another person are threatened by deadly physical force. The manufacturer of Tasers believes their products provide non-injurious solutions to violent confrontations, enabling law enforcement officers to protect themselves while minimizing injury or death.

Twenty-two years ago, a NYPD officer responding to a call regarding a "violent EDP" (emotionally disturbed person) shot Eleanor Bumpurs dead in an effort to evict her. Bumpurs, a 69-year-old grandmother who suffered from arthritis and diabetes, brandished a 10-inch knife when police tried to enter her one-bedroom apartment in a public housing complex in The Bronx.

On Aug. 30, 1999, four police officer responding to a call about a man acting strangely fired 12 shots, killing Gidone (Gary) Busch, 31, a Brooklyn man who was wielding a hammer.

Choriatis, said McCarthy, agonized afterwards as to whether or not she might have endangered herself or others by not using lethal force.

"She was obviously, able to gauge and make the right decision, which at times is difficult to do," said McCarthy.

From January 1 through November 19 this year there has been an increase in the number of shooting incidents in the NYPD-112 compared with 109 for the same period in 2005.

However, the number of rounds fired so far in 2006 decreased to 429 from 549 in 2005. In addition, the average number of rounds fired per incident and the average number of rounds fired per officer have also dropped to 3.8 and 3.2 in 2006, compared with 5.04 and 3.7 in 2005. These numbers do not include an incident in Jamaica on November 26 when 50 shots were fired by five police officers.

According to the Taser manufacturer, police departments using their guns show a decline of 78 percent in shooting incidents over two years. Over 7,000 police departments in the United States and abroad use Tasers and more than 1,700 police departments provide Tasers for every patrol officer.

Police Officers Mariusz Krala and Kenneth Travitt were also October Cop of the Month recipients.

Krala, working the midnight to 8 a.m. shift, responded to a radio call at 4:50 a.m. on October 13 a report of an assault with a pool stick and robbery led Krala to track down four suspects who were found and arrested at 30th Avenue and 23rd Street and were later arraigned. "A good job from beginning to end," McCarthy said.

Travitt on October 29 responded to a robbery at Broadway and 54th Street where three individuals surrounded a victim. "Youth on youth crime," said McCarthy. After a search of the area, Travitt located all three suspects, who were arrested and arraigned on robbery charges.

The 114th Precinct Community Council also honored retiring Detective Lynda Marmara who began her career in 1987 and was assigned to the 114th Precinct in 1988. Since leaving the 114th in 1996, Marmara rose through the ranks and is leaving the Counterterrorism Unit to accept a position in the private sector. "[The decision to leave the department was not an easy decision to make," she said. "The 114th Precinct] has always been home for me."

114th Precinct Community Council President Ann Bruno presented Marmara with a citation for "20 years of dedication, diligence, and devotion to our community". Marmara was instrumental in the planning and helping with the annual Christmas party for children, and will be present at this year's festivities as well.