Sgt. Galletta and Officer Barbato Named Officers of the Month at 76th Pct.

Sgt. Michael Galletta and Officer Patrick Barbato were recognized at Tuesday night's monthly council meeting at the 76th precinct for their work last month in apprehending two individuals who attempted to rob the on Court Street at President Street by pretending to be fundraising for AIDS victims.

Captain John Lewis described the officers as "very conscientious."

"I can always count on Sgt. Galletta getting involved and getting on the scene right away, which really enhances our chances of catching the bad guy," said the captain.

Sgt. Galetta and Officer Barbato were on patrol Friday morning January 6, turning a corner on Carroll and Court streets when they saw a commotion in front of the Brownstone Aquarium Pet Shop, where two teenagers, a man and a woman, had simulated a firearm and taken the proceeds from the store.

The officers on patrol were able to see one individual running down the street who tried to flee the scene and a business owner pointing after him. With assistance from a local business owner helping to detain a cab driver, the officers then were able to apprehend the two individuals that had committed the robbery.

"I think the fact that there were only five robberies in January and that they were there on the spot when this happened goes to show that they are always doing their job," said Captain Lewis. "I'm happy to honor them as the officers of the month."

"Even though this precinct doesn't have a high crime rate, thank God, or the most officers, what we do have are dedicated officers and it's amazing how they always come through," added Community Liaison Officer Paul Grudzinski.

Captain Lewis then gave a brief summary of local crime in the area.

"For the month of January, we were down 5% overall," he said. "Robberies are down over 50%, assaults have been down over 40%, stolen cars 40% and last year we were down over 40% for the year. The only area where we experienced a little bit of trouble were with burglaries. We had a couple of commercial burglaries and then had a few residential burglaries in the Carroll Gardens area."

The Captain paused, then noted. "One trend that we noticed are a lot of the people who have their houses burglarized don't lock their doors," he said. "So that's the tip of the month: Lock your doors."