It was a night of arrivals and departures at the Richmond Hill Block Association (RHBA).
Only a month ago, President Wendy Bowne had invited recently-promoted Deputy Inspector Charles McEvoy to be the guest speaker. At the time, he was Commanding Officer of the 102nd Precinct.
However, by Wednesday, September 30, the night of the meeting, McEvoy had been reassigned to the 103rd Precinct, so everyone in attendance got a chance to meet Captain Armando DeLeon, new Commanding Officer of the 102.
“The 102nd Precinct will hold a special place in my heart,” said McEvoy. “The people I met in the community will remain my friends for the rest of my life.”
McEvoy, who joined the Precinct in January of 2008, went on to credit the hard work of the men and women of the 102, as well as that of community organizations such as the RHBA, for the 12 percent drop in overall crime year-to-date.
“Quality of life is continuing to improve,” he said, though the 102 is experiencing a slight uptick in felony assaults and burglaries.
“Everyone in the command is aware of the burglary spike and it’s ‘all hands-on,’” said McEvoy.
He said he was “honored” by the move to the 103, and said it was a “good step in the right direction,” before adding, “You’re in fabulous hands with Captain DeLeon.”
He then directed any policing questions to the new Commanding Officer before saying, “Thank you for your support from the bottom of my heart. I’m certainly going to miss everyone.”
DeLeon then took the floor.
A Brooklyn cop his entire career, DeLeon said that, “Coming to Queens is the best move I ever made. In under two years, I’ve been assigned to lead a precinct, and when you get a precinct, you get a community.”
Vowing to “work extremely hard,” DeLeon, a graduate of Franklin K. Lane High School, added that he has a “personal stake in this community.”
Sidebar
Pol vows to help non-profits cash flow
The meeting also drew local elected officials or their representatives, one of whom, new Assemblymember Mike Miller, vowed to help struggling non-profits like the One Stop Richmond Hill Community Center, as reported in last week’s Courier Sun.
“One of my top priorities will be to unfreeze the funds locked up by the unfortunate situation with former Assemblymember Anthony Seminerio,” said Miller’s Chief of Staff, who noted that the politician’s temporary office will be on Myrtle Avenue and 69th Street.
Another politician looking for a second office is Senator Joseph Addabbo, whose representative, Jeff Gottlieb, informed the audience that Addabbo is looking for district office space outside of Howard Beach.
City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley gave a bit of good news by informing residents that she was able to bring back a little more in discretionary funding to the district; and that she is now “demanding” action from the MTA on the elevated line along Jamaica Avenue.
Jennifer Manley of the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit then informed grateful audience members that it will soon be a little easier to clean up graffiti, as waivers will no longer be needed.
“It will go a really long way to facilitate the speed and efficiency with which the graffiti comes down,” she said.
