By Philip Newman
Queens led in three categories of crime reduction and played a substantial role in the drop in major criminal activity throughout the city in 2015, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown told a group of city, state and federal elected officials.
“Last year was another eventful and exciting year for us,” Brown told the Annual Legislative Breakfast at his Kew Gardens offices Monday. “It was a year in which we as prosecutors contributed greatly to the city’s historic decline in serious crime.”
New York Police Department statistics show Queens topped the city in 2015 in reducing crime in three major categories—murder, burglary and auto theft.
“Overall Queens County saw serious crime drop 6 percent as opposed to 2 percent citywide,” Brown said.
“We had only 60 homicides last year,” Brown said, “a far cry from the 361 homicides that we had in 1991—my first year as district attorney.”
“In 2015, we handled
over 67,000 arrest cases. And once again we had the best arrest-to-arraignment time in the city,” Brown said “We also had the highest violent felony conviction rate in the city.”
The Queens DA credited technology for much of the success in fighting crime.
“We are completely computerized,” Brown said. “We are linked together by modern voice mail, text messaging and mobile phone systems and our NYPD Command Center keeps us apprised of everything and anything that is happening in Queens County at all hours of the day and night.”
Brown said Queens continued to lead the city in many significant categories, including:
Having the highest domestic violence conviction rate in the city and the lowest dismissal.
Having assistant district attorneys present at police precincts during lineups, the only borough in the city providing prosecutors at every lineup.
Dismantling of prolific auto theft rings that have resulted in a dramatic decrease in auto crime. In 1991, Queens had 52,000 cars reported stolen compared with fewer than 2,300 in 2015.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by phone at (718) 260–4536.
