Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced the hiring of 1,635 new police recruits on Wednesday afternoon. This is welcome news for a city that has seen a dwindling police force lead to a noticeable increase in crime and quality of life complaints from residents.
The key now is to ensure much needed officers are delivered to our local precincts. The 106th Precinct desperately needs police officers. When the new casino at Aqueduct opens later this summer the surrounding area will be swamped with new visitors bringing a whole swath of new issues. If these new officers aren’t assigned to the precinct, it would be a slap in the face to the community.
Our other precincts need help as well. The 102nd, 112th and 104th precincts all have had to do more with less. The 104th Precinct is one of the busiest in Queens; yet they lead the city in graffiti arrests. Imagine how much better they would be if they had more officers. Residents have also been in a protracted battle to curb illegal truck traffic—a problem that could be mitigated more easily if the precinct had more officers to spare.
Woodhaven residents and the 102nd Precinct have a slew of their own issues. In the last few weeks they have complained about residential noise, graffiti and abandoned homes destroying their neighborhood. All of these issues could be helped with an increased police force.
Bloomberg made the right decision to welcome this new police class. Now our local politicians must demand their neighborhoods are properly represented.
