Res 1030-2016

By Council Members Grodenchik, Richards, Lancman and Dromm Whereas, The New York City Police Department ("NYPD") has 77 police precincts; and Whereas, According to the NYPD, the 105th Precinct is New York City's fourth largest precinct and encompasses 12.67 square miles and includes 354 miles of roadway; and Whereas, The 105th Precinct covers most of the eastern border of Queens, running from the Grand Central Parkway in the north to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in the south; and Whereas, According to the Expense and Capital Priorities Report for the Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 from the Queens Borough President, Melinda Katz, police vehicles serving the 105th Precinct currently travel more than 1,000 miles per week as a result of the distance within the precinct boundaries; and Whereas, Using precinct population data compiled by WNYC radio, the average population of all New York City precincts is 106,171, whereas the population of the 105th Precinct is 188,582; and Whereas, According to a November 2013 NYPD press release, former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, citing population increase as a reason, created the newest precinct in the city, the 121st Precinct on Staten Island; and Whereas, Since January 2014, when Borough President Melinda Katz came into office, she and the Queens Borough Board have repeatedly included in their annual budget recommendations to the City a request to create a new precinct in southern Queens; and Whereas, According to the Queens Chronicle, Community Board 13 in Queens has advocated for such a change since 1977; and Whereas, Dividing the 105th Precinct into two precincts continues to be Community Board 13's top priority on its annual list of budget requests; and Whereas, According to Community Board 13, a satellite station was opened in the southern part of the 105th Precinct in 2007, but residents contend it is inadequate because it does not have the resources of a full precinct; and Whereas, Asserting that it is not receiving its fair share of resources, Community Board 13 advocates for a full, new precinct in order to increase personnel and reduce response times to emergency 911 calls; and Whereas, Compared to the neighboring 103rd, 107th, 111th, and 113th Precincts, the 105th Precinct has the slowest response time to 911 calls reporting a serious crime in progress, and the second slowest response time to calls reporting a critical crime in progress; and Whereas, In March 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William J. Bratton announced that the 105th Precinct's satellite station was expanding to provide 24-hour coverage, with an additional 18 officers and two sergeants; and Whereas, As do all New Yorkers, the residents of eastern Queens deserve adequate police resources to ensure their safety; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Mayor and the Police Commissioner of the City of New York to create a new police precinct in Queens by dividing the 105th Precinct into two separate precincts. LS# 7265 3/16/2016 LW