Queens’ Own Becomes New Precinct Captain

The newly appointed Captain of the 111th Precinct in northeast Queens did not need a roadmap of the borough when he arrived at his new post in Bayside. Capt. Anthony Mullen is a proud born and bred Queens guy.
Mullen, 40, a resident of College Point for 38 years, is a graduate of Flushing High School and Queens College. "I love this borough and coming to this precinct is a real thrill and very exciting."
Pointing to a map of his sprawling precinct, Mullen also pointed with pride to the fact that the 111th had a 21 percent reduction in crime in 1999. That’s almost double the average for crime reduction in the other precincts in the city. "This community is involved and caring for its neighborhoods and they have a good working relationship with the police," Mullen said in an interview with The Queens Courier this week.
Mullen said he will be placing a strong emphasis on crime prevention, particularly on the areas where the precinct still has serious problems, mainly burglary and auto thefts. Mullen pointed out that the 111th Precinct’s easy access to highways, expressways and bridges — as well as the more affluent nature of most of the area —make the precinct an easy target for theft of cars, computers and other burglary goods. The same problem exists in the 109th Precinct (Flushing) and the 112th (Forest Hills).
"This area of crime can be greatly lowered through education so that individuals can take the proper steps to safeguard their possessions," Mullen stated. "This plus our increased efforts and shifting some resources could bring down these incidents dramatically."
For instance, Mullen found that most of the cars that are stolen are Maximas, Camrys and Accords, because these parts can be sold at the highest rates. Most of the thefts occur in the midnight shift. "Owners should contact us right away so that we can VIN etch the car and mark other property," Mullen said. Mullen remembers the anger one feels when they are a victim of a car theft — his own car and a motorcycle were once stolen from in front of his College Point home.
Mullen, a father of three, is the son of a policeman. His father served in the NYPD for thirty years. "He would have been so proud to see his son become the captain of a precinct," he said.
Mullen will be meeting with community leaders and merchants and businesspeople starting next week and he said he is looking forward to a continuing and open dialogue and relationship with the whole community. "You couldn’t ask for a better community and I love being assigned here. I want to be able to leave here with a precinct with even greater crime reductions," Mullen said.