By Adam Kramer
Although the overall crime rate rose 2.48 percent in the 105th Precinct for the first half of the year, there was a drop in five of the seven major crime categories compared to the same period last year, Police Department statistics showed.
The murder rate declined by 20 percent, with four murders in the first half of this year vs. five in the first half of 1999.
The 105th Precinct, with headquarters at 92-08 222nd St. in Queens Village, covers eastern Queens including Glen Oaks, Floral Park, New Hyde Park and Bellerose to the north and Cambria Heights, Queens Village, Laurelton, Springfield Gardens and Rosedale to the south.
The largest drop in violent crime was the 28.57 percent decrease in the number of rapes committed. Rapes declined to 15 in the January-June period this year from 21 in the first six months of 1999.
In the first six months of 1999 the suspected Rosedale rapist, Rodolfo Beach, 31, of 249-11 147th Rd., allegedly committed two rapes on Jan. 12 and March 21 in Laurelton. Beach has since been arrested and could face up to 75 years in jail if convicted of the rapes, said the Queens district attorney
