By Ivan Pereira
Who says you can’t go home again?
The 113th Precinct re-welcomed Deputy Inspector Miltiadis “Milt” Marmara back to the station house as its new commanding officer Monday. Three years ago, Marmara served as the executive officer to outgoing commanding officer Inspector Kristel Johnson before he was transferred to lead the 69th Precinct in Canarsie.
Marmara said he was thrilled when he got the call that he would be back serving southeast Queens.
“I’ve come back to the 113th Precinct and I felt like I never left,” he said.
Johnson, who was the commanding officer for the last five years, will head the NYPD’s Bronx and Queens public housing unit according to the precinct’s community affairs office. Marmara said the promotion was a good move for the inspector, who worked well to respond to the community’s issues big and small.
“I’m happy for her, because she’s done a lot here and she’s moving forward,” he said.
The station house covers the neighborhoods of St. Albans, Hollis, Springfield Gardens, South Ozone Park, South Jamaica, Addisleigh Park, Locust Manor and Rochdale Village.
Marmara said the transition back to the borough has been smooth since many of the officers he served with, including the community affairs officers, were around when he worked at the 113th. The deputy inspector added that he learned a lot during his tenure in Brooklyn and would be bringing that enhanced experience to southeast Queens.
“I built a lot of friendships and connections with [the residents] in the 69th. They helped us out a lot,” he said.
Overall, crime in the precinct has increased nearly 14 percent over the last year, according to the latest official NYPD statistics that were dated May 1.
This year there have been 695 reported incidents so far compared to 611 during the same period last year, according to the police. The statistics show felony assault is the crime category to see the largest jump over the last year with 150 reported incidents in 2010 compared to 95 assaults last year, a surge of nearly 58 percent.
Marmara said he would keep his ear to the ground and get residents more involved with helping to curb the crime in the area.
“We need to do it in a step-by-step way with the community working with us,” he said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
