By Ivan Pereira
The commissioner and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Dec. 26 that the city would send 914 rookie officers to nine high-crime zones in Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. The 103rd Precinct, located on 168-02 P.O. Edward Byrne Ave., was given 48 additional officers Friday to patrol the busy Jamaica area near Hillside Avenue and Merrick Boulevard.”Basically we will get 48 new cops and we will put them in a concentrated area called the impact zone where the commanding officer feels the bulk of the crime exists,” said Detective Richard Lowe of the 103rd Precinct.Operation Impact began in 2003 with the commissioner providing rookie officers to precincts with high crime areas , according to the Police Department. Kelly said Operation Impact officers would be in place for a couple of months and they would be redeployed depending on the results of the operation.The 103rd Precinct covers the downtown Jamaica Business District, Hollis Park Gardens, Hollis, Lakewood and Jamaica. According to the latest police statistics ending Dec. 16, overall crime in the area dropped 2.37 percent. The 103rd Precinct saw a 42.8 percent decrease in murder from 2006 to 2007 with eight reported homicides for the year compared to 14 in 2006. Rape was down 31.2 percent with 22 reported incidents this year compared to 32 in 2006.It also saw a 3.7 percent decrease in robbery from 2006 to 2007 with 407 reported incidents compared to 423 in 2006 and a 9.1 percent decrease in burglary with 299 reported incidents compared to 329.Felony assault in the precinct also decreased 3.5 percent in 2007 with 274 reported incidents, 10 less than what was recorded in 2006. Car theft was also down 7.9 percent with 220 reported incidents in 2007 compared to 239 reported in 2006.The precinct's only increase was in the number of grand larceny incidents reported, which saw a 9 percent increase with 567 crimes in 2007 compared to 520 in 2006.Despite the drop in crime, 103rd officers said the added force will be very beneficial to the community.”With this program we'll have a flood of cops on the streets. We want to decrease these numbers as much as possible,” Lowe said.Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
