COJO Congratulates Captain Bailey Goon on Becoming Commanding officer of Staten Island Ferry Command

On July 11, 2022, on behalf of the Staten Island Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO) Mendy Mirocznik, COJO, President and Ari Weiss, COJO Security Chairman and Coordinator of Staten Island Shomrim visited Captain Bailey Goon the newly appointed Commanding Officer of the Staten Island Ferry Command and congratulated him on this well-deserved appointment.

Our experience with Captain Goon is that he is well qualified to serve as the commanding officer of the Staten Island Ferry Command.  “From a security and public safety perspective we must take into account what it entails as serving as the commanding officer of the Staten Island Ferry Command and the unique public safety issues that are particular to it,” stated Mendy Mirocznik, COJO President. 

Mirocznik continued, “the Staten Island Ferry provides approximately 22 million people a year (70,000 passengers a day not including weekend days) with ferry service between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan.  The Staten Island Ferry is run by the City of New York for one pragmatic reason: To transport Staten Islanders to and from Manhattan. Yet, the 5-mile, 25-minute ride also provides a majestic view of New York Harbor and a no-hassle boat ride, for free. From the deck of the ferry passengers have a perfect view of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Passengers see the skyscrapers and bridges of Lower Manhattan receding as the ferry boats pull away and coming into focus again as they return. Thus, making it a well sought tourist attraction. A typical weekday schedule involves the use of four boats to transport approximately 70,000 passengers daily (117 daily trips). On weekends, three boats are used (96 trips each Saturday and 96 trips each Sunday). About 40,404 trips are made annually. Thus, this presents serious police strategies to maintain safety for its thousands of passengers. 

Our experience with Captain Goon who most recently served as the Executive Officer of Pct. 121, and before that served Pct. 122, Pct 123 and in Brooklyn and Manhattan demonstrates that he is uniquely qualified for the task at hand. We at COJO have worked hand in hand with Captain Goon as a community partner. Whether it was the height of Covid and we were actively involved in PPE and resource distributions or at our frequent food distributions or major events such as Rosh Hashana, Passover food distributions or Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Give Aways, you could always really on Captain Goon being present and participating. From preparing food packages to traffic control Captain Goon was always a dependable and reliable partner and friend to all.

During the Covid shutdowns, Captain Goon personally visited our Synagogues, houses of worship and schools to make certain that potential evil doors and trouble makers get the message that crime does not pay and to stay away. That strategy worked and not one Synagogue, house of worship or school under his careful watch was vandalized nor burglarized. Whenever policing required ingenuity, Captain Goon had the acumen to meet the challenges and he did so no matter what environment law enforcement faced, how cold the previous administration was towards the police and no matter what the police challenges were. One thing remained consistent and constant, Captain Goon represented what a New York City police officer is, a dependable public servant committed to public safety and a police officer who takes his job seriously. Captain Goon did not receive special training by the Police Academy nor did he  receive a special emergency Police Manuel in ‘how to tackle unprecedented challenges.’ Rather, Captain Goon’s warm caring heart, concern and love for people and dedication to public safety gave him the energy and wherewithal to overcome this difficult time and to meet the unprecedented challenges. We know that history will one day reveal the great police accomplishments of Captain Goon and we know that he is a true credit to the department.”

Captain Goon commented, “Staten Island is blessed in having many great community organizations such as COJO. What is uniquely beneficial to policing is COJO’s leadership team, such as Mendy Mirocznik, President, Scott Maurer, CEO and Executive Vice-President, Ari Weiss, Security Chairman and Coordinator Staten Island Shomrim and Iva Reuven, Service Committee Chairperson who are available around the clock to pitch in no matter what the situation is. Our ability to communicate with COJO and COJO’s ability to bridge the gap with the diverse community’s residing in the Borough make confidence building and community trust in the NYPD an achievable and realistic goal. This resource makes policing at all levels so much smoother and I look forward in my new role as Commanding Officer at the Staten Island Ferry Command to continue that relationship and to continue to improve the quality of life and public safety for all Staten Islanders.”