Dep. Inspector Henry Sautner, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct.
A south Queens police precinct this week was branded by NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton as one of a handful of city commands in which the recent spike in shooting and murder statistics is concentrated.
The 102nd Precinct, which includes Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Kew Gardens and the northern swath of Ozone Park, is one of five precincts that recently have experienced a surge in violent crimes. And according to Bratton, these commands—three in Brooklyn and one in the Bronx round out the five—account for most of the trouble which has led to a 20 percent increase in both murders and shootings in the city compared to this time last year.
The latest available CompStat numbers show 54 murders in the five boroughs in the first two months of 2015. There were 45 homicides in the city at the close of February 2014. And shooting incidents have jumped to 149 from 126 this time last year.
Bratton did not seem worried by the figures.
“This is something that we’ve got our arms around, something we have every confidence we can identify motives and basically focus on that,” Bratton told the Daily News on Monday.
In the 102, there have been two murders so far in 2015, up from zero at this time in 2014. Shootings have spiked to 5 from 1 during this period last year.
However, overall crime is down in the command, and five of the seven major felonies have dropped considerably compared to 12 months ago.
By Michael V. Cusenza
