Captain Ryan Pierce, a veteran NYPD officer, is the newest commanding officer of the NYPD’s 50th Precinct.

Pierce has spent 18 years in the police force, 15 of those years stationed across the Bronx. Now as the commanding officer of the 50th Precinct, his focus remains one thing – safety.

“You just want people to feel safe, and you just want them to feel safe with their babies,” said Pierce. “I’ve worked in a lot of really violent, busy commands… we have some very busy areas and then some others that are a little quieter that have their own different needs, so it’s definitely been eye-opening for me.”

The 50th Precinct is not known to see high levels of crime – it covers sections of Riverdale, Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Marble Hill and Spuyten Duyvil. Pierce is learning about the communities and their concerns, such as how the Israel-Hamas war is changing the landscape in these neighborhoods.

A recent robbery spree had neighborhoods surrounding Van Cortlandt Park on edge – police say at least eight victims were threatened with knives. Pierce got boots on the ground right away.

“We made some adjustments to the deployment, we got some smart cars in there, the borough was really helpful to get us a light tower, those smart cars. And we haven't seen one of those in almost a month now,” said Pierce.

The 50th Precinct is hosting ‘Coffee With a Cop’ at Mon Amour Café on Valentine’s Day.