Officer honored for community involvement during Mass for American Independence Day Parade 

The officer was honored for his work in a youth mentorship program 

NYPD officer Angel Carmona of the 72nd Precinct was awarded during a Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help on June 29, prior to the start of the 118th annual American Independence Day Parade. 

Carmona was given a plaque by The Sir Knights of The Long Island Assembly #703, a fourth degree of The Knights of Columbus. The organization is a Catholic fraternal group. Carmona was awarded for his community affairs work in Sunset Park, specifically with his involvement in the NYPD’s Blue Chips Program. 

The initiative focuses on bridging the gap between the police and youth through mentorship. 

“[The NYPD] wanted to create a more interactive program where they selected particular officers from precincts and they go out and try to be their own athletic director,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle. “We go speak to kids, and you could be a coach and mentor. It’s a program created in 2021, and I’ve been with it since the beginning.” 

Carmona, who is also a member of the United States Air Force, went the extra mile with the program in Sunset Park. 

“With my programming, I kind of just amplified it and created more programs in the community. I had a soccer program going on, volleyball, and basketball. OLPH is one of the sites that I was using,” said Carmona. “I was also the assistant basketball coach for Sunset Park High School for two years. I coordinated with those coaches and said, ‘If you guys want to do after school practices, but you don’t have a facility, you could have the kids utilize these facilities [at OLPH].’ That way, the kids can continue practicing, playing and staying off the streets.” 

Since 2021, Carmona says he’s gotten over 160 kids to be a part of the program. 43 of them have either gone to the military or college. 

“With the program, we also encourage kids to do community solution projects. They go and fundraise, collect clothes or food, and then we give them the decision to go and seek out orphanages or programs where we can give back to the community,” Carmona said. “We collected close to 10,000 items that we have sent out to orphanages.”

Carmona is also an assistant coach for John Jay High School’s basketball team and has coached various teams throughout his career. Carmona believes that sports help children with all aspects of life. 

“I have an understanding of how to interact with kids through sports,” he said. “It’s not just sports. I like to know the families, kids and a lot of people are shocked. I’m never referred to as a police officer. Most kids call me coach, so it’s pretty funny.” 

Carmona has been a member of the 72nd Precinct since 2012. “I’ve been part of this community for a really long time,” he said. “I have my obligations at the military, so I go abroad, then come back again.” 

Carmona said he was surprised to be honored. 

“I was very humbled when I found out,” he said. “Nobody mentioned anything, so I was in uniform working, but I was honored. I don’t do anything for accolades. I just remember being a kid. I have opportunities to do stuff with the parish, with coaches, and keep kids interested.”