PHOTO: NYPD Chief of Dept. Jim O’Neill last Friday detailed the expansion of the 105th Precinct Satellite to 24-hour coverage. Photo Courtesy of NYPD
By Michael V. Cusenza
The 105th Precinct Satellite has expanded – having added 18 officers and two sergeants—and is now providing 24-hour coverage for the residents of Rosedale and Laurelton, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), and the precinct’s new commander, Deputy Inspector Jeff Schiff, fresh from a two-and-a-half year tour as the top cop at the 106th, announced last Friday.
“Our pleas for help have finally been answered as our communities and NYPD officers are finally getting the resources we have been calling for, year after year,” Richards said. “Thankfully, City Hall is listening and the voices of District 31 are being heard. These additional officers will be welcomed with open arms, and now the doors of this precinct won’t be closed during the hours when most crimes are committed. I’d like to thank Mayor de Blasio and the NYPD for working together to ensure that officers in Southeast Queens have all the tools needed to protect and serve to the best of their ability.”
Richards had been urging the administration and NYPD brass to pony up additional capital funds to create a new 116th Precinct out of a southern swath of the sprawling 105th. State Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone Park) said that although the community didn’t get exactly what it had been asking for, expanding the Satellite “is a step in the right direction.”
“The mayor and police commissioner deserve praise for addressing our community’s needs,” Sanders continued. “The current 105th Precinct covers an area half the size of Manhattan, and the people of Rosedale and Laurelton can rest easier thanks to this expansion.”
The 105th Precinct encompasses 12.7 square miles with 354 miles of roadways, including seven major highways, making it geographically the fourth largest precinct in the city, according to the department. In an effort to support this large area, the NYPD opened a part-time precinct satellite in 2007 to help serve certain communities in the command. The 105th Precinct Satellite previously operated between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., it was converted to 24-hour operations last month. The new officers and sergeants are being moved from a previous assignment.
“The expanded coverage at the 105th Precinct Satellite site will create a full-time police substation in the southern area of the command,” Bratton added. “By providing a 24-hour presence, the community will enjoy the benefits of more locally available police resources.”
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
