East Side Peacekeeper

The East Side is one of Manhattan"s safest neighborhoods, but that doesn"t mean that Deputy Inspector Ted Berntsen, commanding officer of the 17th Precinct, isn"t busy. The precinct extends south of East 59th Street into Turtle Bay, Kips Bay and Murray Hill, and includes the United Nations. â??We want to make sure it stays one of the prime neighborhoods in the city, Berntsen said. Berntsen, whose father and uncle were both police officers, joined the force in 1989. He was working on Wall Street but sought job security in the midst of a recession. He served in the Midtown South Precinct, which covers Times Square, for 19 years, and joined the 17th Precinct two years ago. The United Nations has its own internal security, but Berntsen is responsible for protecting surrounding streets. Each year, hundreds of diplomats's and protestors's flock to the neighborhood during the U.N. General Assembly, one of the precinct"s most important events. Berntsen meets with U.N. Police Chief Mick Brown and his team at least 10 times before the gathering to discuss security plans. Keeping the U.N. team informed about external demonstrations helps ensure the safety of both guests and protestors. Seventy-five demonstrations took place during the 2009 meeting, but only 12 people were arrested, a near- record low. Although last year was relatively quiet, Berntsen recalled two high-profile cases. In March 2008, a crane collapsed on East 51st Street, killing seven people and displacing residents. For two weeks, officers secured evacuated buildings and preserved the crime scene. They continue to work in the area, as some residents and store owners still haven"t moved back yet. In November 2008, football star and Giants receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh at the Latin Quarter nightclub on Lexington Avenue. Berntsen called the scene â??a media blitz. â??Every time we turned around, there were 15 news trucks in front of the precinct or the Latin Quarter, he said. Bars and nightclubs are also a big issue for his team. â??We have almost 300 licensed premises in the 17th Precinct, he said. â??That"s a lot of liquor that"s being consumed. As part of its â??safe bar and club program, the precinct works closely with bar owners to ensure that patrons aren"t dangerously intoxicated, a crime hazard. Officers also transport homeless people to shelters, especially when temperatures plunge. They completed 1,500 transports last year. Reckless bicyclists are another perennial complaint. Officers issued more than 1,500 summonses last year for reckless riding on the sidewalks. At the end of the day, Berntsen returns home to Staten Island, where he grew up. He lives with his wife of 16 years and two children, an 11-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son. â??They always worry about me, especially my children, Berntsen said of his family. â??But they"re also very proud of the work that I do.