Queens North Leads City In Fighting Crime

Patrol Borough Queens North took a big bite out of crime in 2003, its commander, James Tuller, proudly announced last Thursday.
At the patrols annual year-end review, held at the New York Hall of Science, Tuller told a packed crowd that Queens North led the city in overall crime reduction.
The aim of the yearly event was to give an overview of the reduction in crime since 1993, discuss current crime conditions, and current and future goals. Chief Tuller also discussed plans for additional youth programs and cash reward incentive programs offered to encourage individuals to turn in guns for money where no questions are asked. The chief also explained the reward program for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who possesses an illegal firearm.
He relayed statistics that demonstrate tangible proof of violent crimes plummeting and quality of life rising in Queens North, which constitutes the 104th, 108th, 109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 114th and 115th Precincts.
"Our success can be attributed to the hard work of police officers working in the borough and the partnership of caring and concerned community members," the commander told the audience.
The statistics presented at the meeting showed a stark contrast from the present state of Queens North and its climate 10 years ago. The most drastic drop was in the number of grand larceny autos, which sunk by more than 80% from 1993. The reduction in the number of murders in Queens North followed closely on its heels. According to Tuller, 36 murders occurred this past year, a number down by 71.2% from 10 years ago.
The numbers of robberies and burglaries were also significantly reduced from 1993 each by more than two-thirds. This statistic was especially noteworthy, considering that robberies rose slightly in 2002.
The number of rapes had the smallest decrease, shrinking from 207 in 1993 to 179 in 2003.
The commander told the crowd that residents can expect the same dedication to the job from officers in Patrol Borough Queens North in 2004 as they got last year. He noted that crime-reducing programs were being amplified to further cut down on violence and robberies.
He said that NYPDs Operation Impact which places a concentrated police presence in locations that are deemed prone to crime by the computerized crime statistics kept by police got a boost recently. Just last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced the program was expanding to cover 22 precincts, including the 104th, 110th and 115th. Additionally, Tuller spoke on the special area of concentration that will be geared toward rape prevention.
"Working with the community, our goal for 2004 is to further reduce crime and increase the quality of life for people working and living in the Queens North community," said Tuller.
As part of a slide presentation the chief outlined the "3-Cs," the commands continuous goals for 2004.
Further CRIME reduction.
Better COMMUNITY relations
COUNTER terrorism