On Thursday, a coalition of Brooklyn faith leaders stood alongside the NYPD to roll out a new clergy-led community patrol, sending trained ministers into neighborhoods that have been rattled by recent shootings. Organizers say the group, called the Clergy Community Patrol, will start daily foot patrols this week in areas covered by the 79th, 73rd and 75th precincts.
About two dozen clergy members have wrapped up months of training in conflict resolution, community engagement and responding to mental health situations, according to News 12 Brooklyn. The outlet reports that the patrols are launching in the wake of a series of shootings in the same precincts, including the killing of a 16-year-old and a separate double shooting earlier this week.
“There’s so much violence happening right before spring and summer come,” Rev. Kevin McCall said. “Now is the opportunity to have the clergy outside the four walls and being in the street,” he added, as reported by News 12 Brooklyn. Organizers identify McCall as the founder of the Clergy Community Patrol.
How the patrol will operate
Organizers describe the effort as prevention-focused, built around visibility, crisis interruption and connecting residents with services rather than enforcement. The group’s website lists Brownsville and East New York among its coverage areas and offers contact information for would-be volunteers and partners, according to the Brooklyn North Clergy Community Patrol.
Members are expected to walk the streets daily, presenting themselves as approachable neighbors in collars and clergy collars rather than uniforms and badges, while staying in touch with community affairs officers and other local stakeholders.
Why clergy are stepping into the street
Faith leaders involved in the new patrol say clergy can sometimes calm tense encounters and act as trusted go-betweens where relationships with police are already strained. That pitch is landing in precincts that have been under extra scrutiny.
The city’s Comptroller has identified several central and eastern Brooklyn commands, including the 73rd and 75th, as among those with high numbers of excessive-force complaints and costly settlements. Officials cite that backdrop when they talk about trying non-police interventions alongside traditional policing. The Comptroller's Office has urged targeted training and community-aware strategies for precincts with the biggest problems.
Where they will patrol
According to the official NYPD precinct directory, the patrols will focus on areas of Brownsville, East New York and nearby blocks served by the 79th, 73rd and 75th precincts. Residents can find community contacts and phone numbers for each of those precincts in the NYPD precinct directory, which organizers say they will use as a reference point while coordinating with local community affairs teams.
What to watch next
Organizers and police officials say they will be looking at whether the clergy presence helps dial down street tensions, encourages more bystanders to report trouble and opens up clearer lines of communication between residents and law enforcement.
Clergy-police partnerships have shown up in prevention-focused community policing playbooks as one tool that can build trust when paired with clear goals and transparency, according to Police Chief Magazine. Community leaders in Brooklyn say they will be watching to see whether the sight of robed and collared ministers walking the same corners every day actually shifts how safe people feel on their own blocks.
