Nearly one year after a letter sent to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly from
Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Howard Beach) requested more cops for the 106th Precinct, the break finally came.
Fifteen new officers were assigned to the 106th Precinct and have taken to the streets over the last three weeks. The offices were all on previous assignment to IMPACT Units and have been on the job an average of three to four years. IMPACT Units are comprised of new officers who are sent into the most violent, crime-ridden areas in the city upon their release from the academy.
Community Affairs Officer Kenny Zorn said the added personnel will have an extremely positive affect on the precinct as a whole. “These officers represent a tremendous increase in our ability to police the area,” said Zorn. “It will affect so many critical areas, especially in decreasing response time to incidents.”
The addition is also expected to ease the burden of losing five cops to the 100th Precinct in Rockaway for the summer beach months. “It means we have more people on the street, more help at the precinct level, more coverage for officers on vacation,” said Zorn, “and in this case more is definitely better.”
Elected officials and residents alike hope adding more cops is a measure that will help offset the spike in crime the community has seen since the opening of the racino. Back in late January, the New York Post reported a 53.3 percent rise in petit larceny and a 57.7 percent rise in misdemeanor assaults in November of 2011 as compared to November 2010.
While there is nothing concrete to tie the escalation of the two crimes directly to the opening of the gaming facility, community speculation is fueled by concerns over the excessive number of people flooding the area.
About 65,000 visitors descended on Ozone Park for the opening weekend of the racino. Ironically at that time, CB 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton told reporters she thought the crowd was an anomaly and the number of cars would decrease as time went on. Six months later however, published reports cite CB 10’s new estimates, with an average of 100,000 guests pouring into Resorts World every weekend.
The addition of police to the roster of the 106 is a crucial element in keeping a lid on crime in the wake of the racino’s debut. However, dissenters say that although they appreciate the additional manpower, it is certainly not enough. They said they are concerned because other precincts who got the same amount of additional cops did not inherit the racino, as they did.
The addition of police to the roster of the 106 is a crucial element in keeping a lid on crime in the wake of the racino’s debut. Ulrich said, “I am pleased that the NYPD has responded to repeated requests for additional officers in the 106th Precinct. I trust that as the crowds at Resorts World continue to increase during these spring and summer months, the Police Department will again re-evaluate its staffing levels for the Precinct, and assign additional officers accordingly.”
By Patricia Adams
