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2013 Village Award Winner: Jeremiah Shea

Jeremiah Shea hosts an annual Recognition Event for members of the Ninth Precinct.
Community Council president Jeremiah Shea hosts an annual Recognition Event for members of the Ninth Precinct at the Cooper Union’s Great Hall.

The East Village has seen many changes over the last twenty years, but perhaps none so inspiring as the changes due to the work of Ninth Precinct Community Council President Jeremiah Shea. Shea, and his work on behalf of the neighborhood, will be honored with a 2013 Village Award at GVSHP’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 17.

Santa makes a visit to the East Village during the Community Council's Annual Christmas Party.
Santa makes a visit to the East Village during the Community Council’s Annual Christmas Party.

For those of you unfamiliar with New York City’s Community Councils, a brief explanation is in order. Originally established in the 1940’s, Precinct Community Councils are forums that provide ongoing, direct communication between the police and community to discuss and find solutions to public-safety problems in their neighborhood.

The Ninth Precinct covers what is today generally considered to be the East Village, from 14th Street to Houston Street, the East River to Broadway.  Since his time on the council, Shea has transformed a non-performing council into a robust community group that functions like it should. Today, an average of 100 community members attend the monthly meeting to talk about police matters in the neighborhood.

Under Shea’s leadership, the Ninth Precinct Community Council has undertaken annual events for the good of the community, including a blood drive and a Christmas party where Santa makes time for a long visit to the kids waiting for donated toys. While these events are well-received in the community, one might argue that it is the Annual Recognition Program for the precinct that will be Shea’s most enduring legacy as he steps down from the Council after twenty years of service. For the last 17 years, Shea has brought the community, members of the precinct, and their families for an evening that recognizes the dedicated service of the officers and detectives at the precinct. This program has boosted morale in the department, while showing that respect between a community and its police goes both ways.

Members of the Ninth Precinct pose with their awards.
Members of the Ninth Precinct pose with their awards.

Come say thank you to Shea and the other five fantastic awardees on Monday, June 17th at 6:30 pm at the GVSHP Annual Meeting and 23rd Annual Village Awards. E-mail us to RSVP for this event. Miss the other awardee profiles here at Off the Grid? You can catch up here.

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