[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

The Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol held its 4th Annual Public Safety / Bike and Electronic Device Etching event on Sunday June 5, 2016. Etching is when a serial number is placed in an inconspicuous location on one’s bike or electronic device. In the event that an etched bike or electronic device is found after being lost or stolen, the serial number that was etched on the lost or stolen item would facilitate its return to its rightful owner.

With the RNSP Bike and Electronic Device Etching event being held in conjunction with Yeshivah Darchei Torah’s Annual Bike-a-Thon, the RNSP was able to reach out to many bike owners at one time, in one given location. A combined 500 bikes and 74 electronic devices were etched between this event and the smaller event that was held last week in Bayswater.

The participants had a lot of fun participating in the bike-a-thon while also enjoying the engaging activities brought in by the NYPD. Healthy and educational dialogue between emergency responders and the community was a major part of the afternoon. It was a great time for families to have fun and become aware of the many ways one can stay safe. The event was held in conjunction with the NYPD’s Community Affairs division and Crime Prevention Team. The NYPD provided a rock climbing wall which was a very exciting and popular activity. Each bike etching registrant received a reflective safety vest and a bag full of goodies including, RNSP magnets, ices, pens, and other giveaways. The FDNY had a booth set up where they distributed materials to educate the attendees on matters related to fire safety.

A bike repair station was set up, where kids were able to get small repairs performed and tires inflated. Klein’s Ice Cream graciously donated countless boxes of popsicles which RNSP volunteers distributed to all bike-a-thon participants.

The work itself was taxing. The devoted RNSP members and NYPD officers worked tirelessly to etch bike after bike, item after item, with no breaks, until the job was done. The community was very grateful and impressed with the level of dedication that they witnessed on part of the 101st precinct and the RNSP.

The RNSP thanks its amazing and super generous community partners and sponsors for their generosity which made this event possible. Our sponsors included, Klein’s Ice Cream Co., Lazer Marble, MoldPro, Carlos & Gabby’s, Cosmati Stone, Saffron Culinary, Seasons Express, Sleeptight bedding, Bagel Boys, Fairmont Insurance, Allstate, Chosen Island, CreditRepair, Cedarhurst Fashion Opticians, Chateau de Vin, Bounce around this Rock, Oh Nuts, Berrylicious, Giant Bagel, Ezra Pharmacy, Mike’s Burger, 925 Sterling, Lawrence Supply, Cork & Slice, Traditions Eatery, Ahuvas Grill, Qcumbers, JC Sewer and Drain Service, Coffee Bar, Fish Plate, Delicious Dishes, Steven Auto Parts, Stop Chop & Roll, M & R Wine Corp, NA Sewer and Drain Cleaning, Upper Crust, Kosher Pizza World, Sunflower Cafe, Sushi Tokyo, Warren Levi, Haagen-Dazs Cedarhurst, Woodmere Lanes, Central Perk, Liquor & Wine Warehouse, Double Header, Five Towns Mini Golf and Batting Range, Fashionista Boutique, Frankels Super Market, and Central Vision Care.

Each one of these sponsers along with many other community members contributed by donating money and or items for raffle prizes to enhance the event further.

The RNSP also expresses a great deal of gratitude to the 101st Precinct Commanding Officer, D.I. Justin Lenz, Queens South Chief David Barrere, NYPD Community Affairs Chief Joanne Jaffe, Community Affairs Officers, Kevin Campbell and Lynn Blanchette, Crime Prevention Officer Michael Depace, The NCO Officers of the 101st Precinct, the FDNY, Flatbush Safety Patrol, Baruch Moskowitz and Akiva Klein for providing their Mobile Command Center, Pinny Ringel from the NYC Mayors Office, and last but certainly not least, a special thanks must go out to the deticated members of the RNSP along with their wives and families. There are members that have put in hours upon hours of time working on this event. There was a tremendous amout of work that needed to get done in order to make this event a success. We must thank our dedicated event supervisor RN-61, Nussen Bornfreund for coordinating all aspects of the bike etching.

We will announce all the winners of the raffle shortly. Thank you all for your participation and we look foward to our continued success working with the entire Rockaway and Nassau community.

RNSP 24/7 Hotline Number – (917) 727-7306

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC / RNSP)