FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com JANUARY 8, 2015 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17 Queens DA Richard A. Brown looks back on another year of dramatic crime reduction across the borough BY QUEENS COURIER STAFF editorial@queenscourier.com @QueensCourier Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown — who begins his 24th year as Queens County’s chief law enforcement offi cer in 2015 — delivered his year-end message to the residents of Queens County in which he noted that Queens was again among the city’s leaders in crime reduction in 2014. In the following excerpts from his year-end message, Brown noted that the downward turn in crime includes a 2.65 percent decline in serious crime from the previous year, led by an 18.15 percent drop in robberies and an 8.5 percent drop in burglaries. “Through our law-enforcement initiatives and the utilization of an array of cutting edge interventions and prevention programs, we have made tremendous progress in accomplishing that goal which, in turn, has contributed greatly to New York City’s historic decline in serious and violent crime. Over the last 21 years, overall crime in Queens is down by 78.75 percent, murders — a stalwart benchmark for both prosecutors and police — have fallen 77.20 percent, robberies are down 80.70 percent, burglaries Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown are down 81.40 percent and felony assaults are down 40.65 percent,” Brown said. “We continue to be, I believe, among the best and busiest prosecutor’s offi ces in the country. Last year, our offi ce handled more than 77,000 arrest cases — cases running the gamut from quality-of-life offenses to serious violent felonies. And, by any standard, we handled those cases effi ciently and judiciously. Preliminary numbers for the year show that we statistically maintain the best arrest to arraignment time in the city, cutting the time by nearly 9 percent over last year, and have the best arrest to sworn complaint time, meaning that we are able to get our police offi cers back on the streets faster than any other borough. Because of our assertive bail-jumping program — in which defendants are indicted if they fail to appear in court for their felony cases — we also have the lowest failure to appear in court rate in the city. In sum, we continue to have the respect of our law enforcement colleagues and the confi - dence of the people of Queens County. “In pursuing the offi ce’s core mission to increase public safety and reduce crime in 2014, we have vigorously pursued hate crime cases against those individuals who chose their victims based on religion, sexuality, the color of their skin and other factors and those who target older victims. We have aggressively gone after illegal cigarette traffi ckers, organized trademark counterfeiting rings and legitimate businesses and franchises that annually cheat the government out of millions of dollars of much-needed state and city revenue. On a local level, we have focused our attention on quality-of-life issues, such as burglaries, home invasions and combating graffi ti, which leads to decreased property values and is expensive to remove. We continue to do our part in protecting our younger residents by going after online child pornographers, as well as sex traffi ckers and sexual predators who attempt to meet underage children online for sexual relations. “I am optimistic that by continuing the very successful strategies that we have employed over the years we, together with our law enforcement colleagues, can make Queens County even safer in 2015,” Brown concluded. Great rates like ours are always in season. 36-Month CD 1.70%APY* $5,000 minimum deposit At Flushing Bank, we’re small enough to know you and large enough to provide you with the great rates you’re looking for. Hurry, an offer like this can’t last forever. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. 60-Month CD 2..05%APY* $5,000 minimum deposit *New money only. APY effective November 24, 2014. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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