In what the New York Police Department (NYPD) is calling “routine transfers,” both the 109th and the 111th Precincts have new Commanding Officers.
The new Commander for the 109th Precinct is Deputy Inspector Brian Maguire, a 24-year NYPD veteran who came from Transit Bureau District 1, where he served as the Commanding Officer.
Maguire replaces Deputy Inspector Matthew Whelan, who is moving on after 3 ½ years to take command of the 19th Precinct in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, replacing Inspector James W. Murtagh.
Although excited about his new command, Whelan said he would miss the old 109. “I met a lot of good people in the community – I had a great time here.” Though he doesn’t know Maguire, Whelan is confident that “he’ll do just fine with this crew to back him up.”
Captain Ronald Leyson is the new Commander for the 111th Precinct, replacing Deputy Inspector Scott Hanover, who was named Executive Officer of the NYPD’s Traffic Control Division.
Leyson, with nearly 17 years of departmental service, leaves command of NYPD’s Queens North Task Force.
Hanover, who has commanded the 111th since January 2006, said “I enjoyed every minute of my time here.” He expressed full confidence in Captain Leyson, who was Executive Officer of the 111th during Hanover’s first two years. “Ronny commanded borough anti-crime and task force units – he’s been in Queens all along.”
“Deputy Inspectors Whelan at the 109th and Hanover in the 111th did a wonderful job in keeping Northeast Queens one of the safest places in New York City,” said City Councilmember Dan Halloran, adding, “I look forward to working with the incoming commanders to preserve our neighborhoods’ high quality of life.”
An NYPD spokesperson said these precinct command changes, which went into effect on Wednesday, May 5, “as well as several others throughout the city were routine transfers, just a lot of at one time.”
