DeBlasio & Council screw community out of better police protection

From the Queens Chronicle:

Residents of Southeast Queens thought 40 years of advocacy and hard work had come to fruition in July 2017 when Mayor de Blasio joined them along with NYPD brass and elected officials in Rosedale, next to the land that was finally going to become the NYPD’s new 116th Precinct.

But with a stroke of his pen, de Blasio transferred the $92 million in capital funding to other projects, including a community center in Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans.

NYPD critics, including those on the City Council, had advertised that they were looking to cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s operating budget, and much of that was switched to other departments for social service programs.

The NYPD last week told the Chronicle that it was committed to fulfilling its promise to the residents of Southeast Queens.

But the mayor and Council also agreed on more than $530 million in cuts to the NYPD’s capital budget, and the 116th Precinct proved to be too tempting a target.

And one of the most ardent proponents of police reform on the Council — Public Safety Committee Chairman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) — also was the biggest supporter of the precinct in City Hall.

“I voted against the budget,” Richards told the Chronicle in an interview.

See what they lost out on by caving.

Update:

See where all that money that was snatched from the 116th of which it's still being spent on the NYPD is actually going to. What is the "special expense"?

One thing's for sure, the city and the NYPD (and the protesters of Occupy City Hall) feels the residents of Southeast Queens lives aren't that special and don't matter much.

JQ LLC

 

Far Rockaway firehouse & police station landmarked

From the Times Ledger:

A fire house and a police station both built in Far Rockaway in the early 20th century have officially been approved for landmark status following a unanimous 47-0 vote last week, according to City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton).

After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, much of Far Rockaway was in need of redevelopment and surveyors from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission researched the history of buildings in the area.

In 2017, Far Rockaway was rezoned and the 101st Precinct — formerly the 53rd Precinct — and the Engine Companies 264 & 328/Ladder 134 were seen as worthy for designation, according to the councilman’s office and the LPC.

“They carry history and have housed some of our most precious civil servants,” Richards said. “These sites will carry on the character that was set when the modern version of our community was first being shaped.”

The precinct — located at 16-12 Mott Ave. — and the fire station — located at 16-15 Central Ave. — publicly came under consideration as landmarks in March and the LPC held a hearing with members of the community in Manhattan one month later.

Boy, the LPC sure loves to designate Queens' unremarkable municipal buildings...and little else.

Rockaway firehouse and police precinct up for landmarking

From the Times Ledger:

Two buildings in Far Rockaway were up for consideration as preserved landmarks last week in Manhattan.

The first was Firehouse and Engine Companies 264 and 328/Hook and Ladder 134, located at 16-15 Central Ave., according to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The second facility up for designation was the 101st Precinct Police Station — formerly the 53rd Precinct — located at 16-12 Mott Ave., which is five minutes away from the firehouse, according to LPC.

The Renaissance Revival-styled firehouse, affectionately called “The Big House” by locals, was built from 1911 to 1913 by architectural firm Hoppin & Koen.

Prominent architects Frances Hoppin and Terrence Koen designed the three-structure firehouse with limestone at the ground floor, three segmental-arched vehicle bays, red brick cladding on the upper stories, a cast stone entablature and a brick parapet, according to LPC.

The precinct is a combination of the Renaissance and Colonial Revival styles and was designed by the Police Department’s Superintendent of Buildings Thomas O’Brien, said LPC. It was built from 1927 to 1928.

City planning to knock down school it landmarked

From Brooklyn Daily:

The city will knock over Sunset Park’s castle-like former police precinct to make way for 300 classroom seats, officials announced on June 13. School Construction Authority reps made the pitch to Community Board Seven, claiming the crumbling landmark at Fourth Avenue and 43rd Street would “probably have to come down” while also showing photos of schools the agency previously built atop demolished historic structures.

School Construction Authority reps refused to say the agency would definitely demolish the building, which would require a virtually unheard-of un-landmarking or for the city to condemn the derelict structure as a hazard. However, they did show locals photos of schools the agency build with an aesthetic nod to the historic buildings that they replaced, such as PS 133 in Park Slope, which rose from an older schoolhouse, and PS 30 in Bay Ridge, which succeeded the Green Church.

Pomonok graffiti threatens to kill NYPD

From DNA Info:

Graffiti threatening to kill police was found in Queens Monday, sources said .

It comes amid a rash of violence against members of the NYPD.

Two officers were shot responding to a robbery Monday night and, on Dec. 20, Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were killed while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn.

The department has also fielded dozens of threats against police in recent weeks and made several arrests.

The graffiti that reads “PSA-9 'n' 107 Pct R Next to Die" was spotted in the basement of a building at the Pomonok Houses on Parsons Boulevard, near 65th Avenue, sources said.

Police Service Area 9 serves the Pomonok Houses. The housing project is also part of a larger area covered by the 107th Precinct, which includes Fresh Meadows, Cunningham Heights, Hilltop Village and Kew Gardens Hills as well.

It was not immediately clear if the NYPD is investigating the graffiti as a threat. The NYPD's Citywide Vandals Task Force is handling the case, sources said.

Multi-precinct vigil set for Tuesday

Vigils set for tonight and tomorrow

From the Times Newsweekly:

Candlelight vigils are scheduled outside three local police precincts [tonight] and Tuesday, Dec. 22-23, honoring the two NYPD officers assassinated in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 20.

The 104th Precinct Community Council announced it would hold its vigil at 7 p.m. Monday night in front of the 104th Precinct's stationhouse, located at 64-02 Catalpa Ave., two blocks east of Fresh Pond Road.

People of all faiths are organizing a similar candlelight vigil tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. at the 108th Precinct's Long Island City headquarters, located at 5-47 50th Ave.

Finally, the 112th Precinct Community Council will honor the lost officers at the precinct's Forest Hills stationhouse, located at 68-40 Austin St., at 6 p.m. Tuesday night.

Precinct lines to stay as is

From DNA Info:

Two precincts currently patrol Roosevelt Avenue through Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights — the 115th on the north side, and the 110th on the south side.

Sen. Jose Peralta sent a letter to Commissioner Bill Bratton in November requesting they redraw the lines and have just one precinct monitor both sides of the avenue, though he didn't specify which one.

"A dividing line running miles down the center of a busy street makes no sense and almost certainly stretches resources thin," Peralta wrote.

"It also makes it more difficult to institute community policing measures when smaller neighborhood enclaves are split in half."

Bratton replied days later saying the lines were fine as they are.

105th Precinct may get split

From the Times Ledger:

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) this week applauded the dedication of Borough President Melinda Katz after she named the creation of a new police precinct to cover the northeastern part of the borough as one of her top budget priorities for the 2015 fiscal year.

The creation of a 116th Precinct was included in a list of budget priorities that was unanimously approved by the Borough Board at a budget meeting earlier this month. The new precinct would split the 105th Precinct in half and take over the southeastern part of the area to alleviate some of the stress.

The 105th is one of the largest precincts in the city, covering Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, Bellerose, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park and Floral Park. Lawmakers and community members have fought in the past for funding that would divide the precinct’s responsibilities to reduce response times over such a large coverage area.

“The sheer size of the 105th Precinct and the lack of resources that all the precincts in New York City are currently facing presents a very good case for the creation of a new police precinct to better address the rising population in Queens,” said Avella, who has been pushing for the split since his time in the City Council.

Avella introduced legislation in 2011 that called for the division of the 105th and 109th precincts, which covers the northern areas of the borough in Flushing, East Flushing, Queensboro Hill, College Point, Malba, Whitestone, Beechurst and Bay Terrace. His bill would have split the 109th into two precincts, one dedicated strictly to Flushing and another to take over the remaining area.

Though the NYPD is a city-run agency, Avella’s office said the Senate does have the power to amend its administrative code and call for the split, but the bill would most likely need support from the City Council before being voted on in the Senate.

While the item included in Katz’s budget priorities speaks only of the 105th, unlike Avella’s legislation, the senator said he is still pleased to see that the proposal is finally making progress among other city leaders.

Precincts no longer allowed to release info

From DNA Info:

The NYPD has ordered the city's 77 police precincts to stop giving out any information to the media about crimes taking place in their neighborhoods, cutting off a long-standing source of information for New Yorkers.

According to a terse NYPD edict transmitted citywide, precinct commanders were instructed: “Any requests by media to view complaint reports be referred to the office of the Deputy Commissioner For Public Information.”

The NYPD's public information office, known as DCPI, typically disemminates only select major crimes such as murders, sexual assaults and grand larcenies, but often does not include lower level neighborhood crimes. Those complaints could traditionally be found at the precinct, a reliable source for information of interest for residents.

According to sources, the latest media restriction was sent last week to the precinct supervisors from their borough commanders, who received the transmission from the NYPD’s Chief of Patrol James Hall.

Some want Forest Park to have its own precinct

From DNA Info:

In the wake of two sexual attacks on joggers within the past five months in Forest Park, local advocates and elected officials want the city to create a new precinct devoted solely to the park, similar to the one in Central Park.

Proponents said the spate of attacks merits a precinct that will exclusively monitor the 550-acre greenspace. A 23-year-old jogger was Tasered and sexually assaulted in the park in March, and a 69-year-old woman was raped in the park last Monday near Forest Park Drive and Myrtle Avenue.

“It doesn’t have to be a big precinct,” said Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association. “But that would guarantee police presence there and it would make the park a lot safer.”

Although the description of the attackers in both incidents is similar — both are men described as being about 5-foot-9 and approximately 35-years-old — the sketches appeared to be of two different men, cops said.

Following the first incident, police created a special two-officer police unit to patrol the park on a daily basis from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, who represents Ridgewood, Middle Village, Glendale and Woodhaven, and who jogs in the park, said “a dedicated precinct for the park is an idea that is worth exploring.”

Critics said that the park struggles with a number of safety issues, such as lack of lighting in the early hours of the day along its main roads, including Myrtle Avenue.

“There is a good number of people who are out jogging, walking their dogs around that time and all the lights are out,” said Wendell, who said early-morning joggers have to run with flashlights at Victory Field, near Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.

A spokesman for the Department of Transportation said in an email that the outage at Myrtle Ave. and Woodhaven Blvd. near Victory Field "appears to have been caused by vandalism" and that "the agency is currently working with the Parks Department here and will also discuss potential enforcement with the NYPD."

If Flushing Meadows doesn't have a dedicated precinct, then Forest Park isn't getting one.

Lots of day care centers are under the radar

From the Queens Courier:

A little known law may be keeping some Queens day care centers from operating legally, The Courier has learned.

Permits from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), a certificate of occupancy from the Department of Buildings and a fire inspection pass are needed for city child care providers who fall under certain categories. These include those who look after three or more kids unrelated to them either in a private home or institution for more than three hours a day, on a regular basis.

But a less familiar rule requires these centers also give written notification to local precincts and fire departments within five days of receiving certifications, the agencies said.

“The day care centers are kind of off our radar. For safety reasons, we’d like to know where they are,” said Special Operations Lieutenant Daniel Heffernan of the 111th Precinct.

According to Heffernan, about 26 centers in the Bayside-based precinct are legally licensed with the city. The precinct’s list is still being updated, but only eight were registered with police as of press time.

Illegal parking near police precinct

"I noticed a vehicle parked on 50th Avenue in Long Island City for 7 days. It was parked on a one way street; facing the traffic. It was parked in front of a fire hydrant and it was parked 20 yards from the 108th precinct Police Department.

I have a few questions:

Why does the Captain of 108th precinct Police Department allow this?
Does this car belong to one of the police officers? If yes, couldn't they park somewhere else instead of parking illegally for more than a week? (I took photos of the car everyday for one week). The car was finally moved today.

There is another small car (Cooper?) that regularly parks at the same stop; right next to the building of 108th precinct. There are several police officers that park on this street, blocking the vehicle traffic as well as making walking very hard. The officers park their personal cars on the sidewalks. One officer has a huge black truck that makes driving almost impossible on 50th Avenue." - Lee

Sometimes impounded vehicles are parked outside precincts if evidence needs to be collected from them. Besides, I'm sure a NYC police officer would make sure he/she registered his/her car in NY state. So that can't be the vehicle of a police officer. (Ok, I'll stop being sarcastic now.)

Avella suggests adding police precincts

From Bayside Patch:

Fed up with being too far from their designated police hub, a group of Bay Terrace citizens declared gehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifographic independence from Flushing last winter.

A symbolic Declaration was even printed, and signed. It bore the main complaint that police presence and response times are critical to safety, but Bayside’s 111th Precinct was half the distance from their assigned station, Flushing’s 109th.

The 111th Precinct’s Community Council hinted at that time that they were open to incorporating the neighborhood under their protection, and were tepidly contemplating the logistics and extra manpower needed.

The office of Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, said they were offering up an even better solution: cut the other precinct in half.

Avella and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein, D-Bayside proposed legislation to divide Flushing’s 109th Precinct into North and South.

Bay Terrace, Whitestone, College Point and Clearview would inhabit the North. The proposal would also divide the neighboring 105th Precinct the same way.

Those two, he said, have been tasked with overseeing the safety of twice as many people as some other Queens Precincts.

WTC assignment taking cops out of high crime areas

From the Daily News:

The NYPD'S vaunted Operation Impact is losing about 600 cops so police can staff the new World Trade Center command and add cops to other precincts, the Daily News has learned.

The personnel shuffling was panned in neighborhoods most likely to be affected.

The move comes amid concerns that the decreasing size of the force - compounded by a drop in response times - could lead to a summer crime surge.

Sources said the number of cops assigned to Operation Impact is being trimmed to 1,200 - with almost 300 heading to the WTC command. The rest are being reassigned to other precincts desperate for a manpower boost.

Bay Terrace wants to secede from CB7

From the Times Ledger:

Bay Terrace Community Alliance members unanimously threw their support behind a declaration of independence that the group unveiled last week, calling for them to separate from Community Board 7 and join CB 11.

The Bay Terrace residents said at their Dec. 8 meeting at the Benenson Family Center of the Chabad of Northeast at 212-12 26th Ave. in Bayside that they wanted to join CB 11 because they felt closer geographically and culturally to the area represented by CB 11 than to CB 7. A number of the members stressed the move was important because they then would be covered by the 111th Precinct, which is physically closer to them than the 109th Precinct, which now has jurisdiction over Bay Terrace.

“CB 7 is a really hardworking board,” said Warren Schreiber, the BTCA president. “They have terrific, dedicated members, but it’s not where we belong.”

The 200-acre section of northeast Queens between 26th Avenue and Fort Totten was originally considered part of Bayside, but it has long been a part of CB 7 despite its being far closer to Bayside and Little Neck than to CB 7’s hub in Flushing. Bay Terrace is also near Whitestone, which is a part of CB 7.

CB 7 covers Flushing, Whitestone, College Point, Murray Hill and Bay Terrace, while CB 11 includes Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Hollis Hills and Oakland Gardens. The two boards share Auburndale.

The declaration of independence, which BTCA members voted to adopt, revealed at last week’s meeting, begins in a familiar way.

“We, the people of Bay Terrace, hereby declare our rights as residents of the community of Bayside, Queens,” the document reads.

The declaration goes on to say that Bay Terrace has “always been part of the historical, geographical, governmental, social and religious fabric of the community of Bayside,” and residents have “been forced to remain within Community Board 7 against our will.”

The document states that police response time could decrease should Bay Terrace be covered by the 111th Precinct.