A Chat with the Captain of the 100th
By Katie McFadden
On Saturday, March 2, Captain Carol Hamilton, commanding officer of the 100th Precinct, blew a whistle to start the 49th Annual Queens St. Patrick’s Day Parade and marched the route through the rain. But prior to that, she sat down with The Rockaway Times to answer some questions about her time as the NYPD 100th Precinct’s latest leader since November 2023, and what led up to it, so readers can get to know her a little better.
KM: Where are you from?
CH: I was born in Jamaica, in the West Indies, the country of “One Love.” Now I live in Roosevelt in Nassau County.
KM: When did you join the NYPD and what made you join?
CH: Before I joined the NYPD, I was a stockbroker, and after 9/11, I just wanted to do something else. I started researching and NYPD popped up, I took the test in February 2002 and was hired July 1, 2002. I guess it was meant to be. Almost 22 years later and I’ve never looked back.
KM: What has been the trajectory of your NYPD career?
CH: I started out as a police officer in the 46th Precinct in the Bronx. My class was 2,500 and they put 65 of us in the 46, a high crime area. I made the sign of the cross when they put me there. I was on a footpost. I had a good time. It was busy. It was either sink or swim and I really learned a lot there. If the 46 didn’t make me leave this job, nothing would. I spent two years there and in March 2004, I went to the 49 until December 23, 2010, when I got promoted to sergeant. As sergeant, I was assigned to Brooklyn North’s 90th Precinct in Williamsburg. I took the lieutenant test and was promoted on July 28, 2014, and went to housing in Brooklyn North PSA 2 until March 7, 2017, when I went into internal affairs as lieutenant. On July 28, 2021, I was promoted to captain and went to the 94th Precinct in Brooklyn North as the executive officer. After three months, I ended up in the 73rd in Brownsville as executive officer. And in June 2023, I came to the 100th and officially became commanding officer in November.
KM: What did it mean to you to achieve the rank of captain and commanding officer?
CH: It was an accomplishment. I always tell people, as motivation for any officer that wants to go the route of a supervisor, just don’t give up. I took the sergeant test three times. The third time, I passed. That’s my testimony. You don’t give up. You fail once, twice… the third time, if that’s what you really want, you just go for it.
KM: Were you familiar with Rockaway before you were assigned here?
CH: I came here when I was 12 from Jamaica, and my aunt took me to this beach, and it took one time in that water for me to never go back in. I’m a pretty good swimmer and I got pulled in. I still came back, just not in the water.
KM: Was former commanding officer, Deputy Carlos Fabara, able to show you the ropes before you stepped into his position?
CH: Yes, he was very good at showing me things. I asked him a lot of questions and he answered them and gave me a lot of positive feedback.
KM: What’s been your experience been at the 100th Precinct so far?
CH: When I first got here, I thought my radio was broken. There was nothing going on. When I was in the 73rd, I had PTSD from that radio. It was constantly going off. I got used to that, picking up the radio and running out. When I came here, there was a slowdown and I had to learn to get used to that. I still don’t think I’m used to it. I like to go out. I drive around the area as a way to help patrol. It’s different here. In this community, there’s more quality of life, parking issues. When I was in Brooklyn, it was crime, crime, crime. I feel like the community here loves cops. I genuinely feel the love here. I haven’t seen one person give me the finger…. Ok, maybe just one time. When I go to community council meeting, I feel the support there. If there’s anything going on, I get a text from community leaders. We work with the community. I like it.
KM: What’s it been like meeting directly with various community leaders, like civic leaders, elected officials, clergy leaders, etc.?
CH: I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. I’m able to text or call many of them directly, or they can contact our Community Affairs Officers Victor Boamah and Detective Anthony Byrd, so it’s more personal and comfortable. If I get a text about something, I’m able to gather facts first and give them the proper information about what’s going on. I don’t hold anything back and I give people the real deal, and we sit down and discuss other alternatives if something isn’t working.
KM: What has been the biggest challenge so far?
CH: When I think about it? Storms. Last year, I was here during heavy rains, and I saw a lot of flooding. I’d have an early run driving around and there was no water, then 20, 30 minutes later, it’s flooded. It’s a challenge for the precinct and the community, in trying to help people. When it rains here, even when it snows, I worry about the residents here and our officers going out to help people and making sure areas are safe.
KM: Is the 100th Precinct prepared for any additional challenges that might come as the weather warms up?
CH: I was here before the summer detail started last year and I kind of saw how Deputy Inspector Fabara was running the show. We get a lot of people here in the summer, and we listen for things like water rescues, parking issues, things going on on the beach, but we’ll address things as they come because that’s what we do. The cops here are good and we work closely with community members if there are any issues. Hopefully we have a great, safe summer for everybody.
