NYC residents ‘encouraged’ as new NYPD crime-fighting initiative unveiled in overwhelmed Queens district: ‘Long time coming’

A new crime-fighting initiative in northeast Queens is slated to bring dozens more cops to the area – and residents couldn’t be happier.

The 109th Precinct – covering neighborhoods including downtown Flushing, Whitestone and College Point – has expanded with a 66-officer satellite precinct to try to improve emergency response in the massive jurisdiction, the NYPD announced this month.

Sheryl Kleven, the chair of directors for A Better College Point Civic Association, told The Post that her group has called for more police attention in recent years with the rapid expansion of downtown Flushing, which has diverted vital resources from her neck of Queens.

“What’s suffered mostly over the last few years is the quality-of-life issues,” Kleven said. “The majority [of residents] are very happy and very encouraged by the fact that the satellite precinct is actually happening for us. It’s been a long time coming.”

Several Queens residents last week echoed Kleven’s quality-of-life concerns.

“I wouldn’t have a problem with [the satellite precinct] — better safe than sorry,” said Paul Morales, 26, of the local neighborhood of Malba, noting he’s had a few packages stolen from his home in recent months.

A Queens native who only gave his first name, Danny, said, “It just gets worse and worse — there’s more crime during the day I’ve noticed.

“Now you’re seeing more and more of it and in places where you’ve never seen that before,” he said.

The new NYPD patrol force — based out of the Police Academy in College Point — will focus on neighborhoods such as College Point, Whitestone, Beechhurst, and Bay Terrace and target concerns including shoplifting, car break-ins, burglaries, disruptive car meet-ups and drag racing, Queens city Councilwoman Vickie Paladino said.

“Areas such as College Point, Whitestone, and Bay Terrace have experienced a lack of consistent police presence, not due to any failure on the part of the Police Department but rather because of the Precinct’s overwhelming workload and understaffing,” Paladino said in a statement.

“This additional support will guarantee significant improvements in those quality-of-life areas.”

Flushing-Whitestone is the city’s second largest neighborhood by population, behind Manhattan’s Midtown, according to the latest figures from New York University’s Furman Center.

The satellite precinct was launched after a meeting between city officials and the “We Love Whitestone” local civic organization, which focused on slow 911 response times in the precinct.

There also will be new satellite-precinct patrol cars, which will allow officers to “engage closely with constituents and follow up on quality-of-life conditions,” a rep for Paladino said.

“This launch isn’t just about response times; it’s about reinforcing our commitment to safety in every corner of Queens,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement announcing the launch.

“With these additional 66 officers, we’re not only improving response times but showing that when the community speaks, we act,” he said.

NYPD data actually shows a slight decrease in major crimes in the precinct since last year, with robberies down 7.7%, burglaries dropping 22.9% and zero shootings reported in 2024 compared to eight by this time in 2023.

But despite the NYPD’s figures, Kleven said the “community wasn’t feeling that the crime stats were down.

“Parking issues, illegal plates, noise complaints, all of those additional quality-of-life issues [are] because … the lack of [NYPD] staffing really hurt our area,” the civic-association member said. “We’ve already noticed the response already in the community. … To see just the [police] presence is welcome.”

College Point native Brianna Marrero, a therapist for people with developmental disabilities, said she hopes the new mini-precinct will yield lasting changes.

“I was raised here, I’ve been living here since I was a little girl, and I’ve seen it completely change,” Marrero, 22, said of the area, adding that drugs and prostitution are newer concerns in the neighborhood. “There’s even homeless people now, sleeping in parks. There’s only maybe three [people at a time], but I’ve never seen that.”

It’s a far cry from the College Point that raised the likes of 68-year-old retired NYPD traffic-unit Officer Maryanne Keiling, who told The Post she never had locks on her front door growing up. 

“Now I won’t even let my grandson put the garbage out by himself,” Keiling said. I’ve been retired for two years, and I won’t go on the subway.”

While Keiling said the satellite precinct is certainly welcome, she pointed out that the New York Police Academy may not be the best location for it – and she prefers an idea floated years ago for the satellite precinct to be closer to metropolitan hubs in the region.

“Where the academy is, for them to come through here, it’s not going to happen that quick,” Keiling said of emergency vehicles. “Maybe [response times] would get a little bit better but not by much. … For Whitestone and Bay Terrace, [the cops are] too far away.”

Since the new police deployment, which consists of 54 officers and 12 supervisors, operates out of the NYPD Police Academy, the initiative does not require the rental of new space at taxpayer expense.

A source familiar with the satellite precinct told The Post the space is “temporary” and the longevity of the initiative remains unclear.

Kleven said she hopes a permanent situation comes sooner than later.

“If we need to get police reports … we still have to go into Flushing,” Kleven said.

“We’re hoping at some point, when the satellite precinct is permanently housed in the area, it will be a more local brick-and-mortar presence in the community.”