4 The QUENS Courier • january 8, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com COMMUNITY WELCOMES NEW OFFICERS COMING INTO PATROL BOROUGH QUEENS NORTH BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano28 A group of 56 new members of New York’s Finest, who will be patrolling the streets of Queens, received a warm welcome on Jan. 5 by the communities they will work to keep safe. The incoming officers, who were part of the graduating NYPD class on Dec. 29 and were assigned to Patrol Borough Queens North, were greeted by local leaders and NYPD officials during a ceremony at the Langston Hughes Community Library in Corona. Patrol Borough Queens North is made up of eight precincts ranging from locations in Bayside to Ridgewood. The officers who filled the library’s second floor on Monday have been assigned to the 104th, 108th, 109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 114th and 115th precincts. Assistant Chief Diana Pizzuti, commanding officer of Patrol Borough Queens North, welcomed the new cops to their posts and called them “ambassadors” for the borough, which was named the top tourist destination for 2015. “You are our youth, and it means a lot to me to make sure you get the best training,” Pizzuti told the officers. “Queens is a very supportive community.” Pizzuti also went over what she called the “Five Cs in Policing”: Community, Communication, Crime Prevention, Counter terrorism, and Character. Pizzuti also spoke of the two slain officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, and reminded the new cops to stay safe while patrolling the streets. “You have to stay vigilant. You wear the blue, you’re the target,” Pizzuti said. “Be mindful of your surroundings, A group of 56 new members of New York’s Finest, who will be patrolling the streets of Queens, received a warm welcome on Jan. 5 by the communities they will work to keep safe. not just at work but at home. Not everyone is our friend.” Among the community leaders who spoke was Victoria Schneps, publisher of The Queens Courier, who congratulated and welcomed the new faces to the NYPD. “You are the future sitting here, and I want you to know how much we respect you,” Schneps said. “We love our neighborhoods and we love the police that THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano protect our neighborhoods.” Seven of the eight precincts will receive six new officers. The 114th Precinct, which patrols Astoria, Long Island City, Woodside and Jackson Heights, will get 12 cops because they have more reported crimes, according to the NYPD. “Keep an open mind and keep a positive attitude while you’re out there,” Pizzuti said. “Good luck and we’re here to help. We are one family.” Bell Boulevard flourished in 2014, says local BID BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ ejankiewicz@queenscourier.com @ericjankiewicz It was a big year for Bell Boulevard. “The economy is recovering and we can see that with the increase of business on Bell,” said Lyle Sclair, president of Bayside’s Business Improvement District. “You can see that storefronts get filled really quickly. During 2014, Bayside’s commercial strip witnessed the closing of about a dozen businesses, but most of these locations were quickly filled with other shops, indicating economic vibrancy to Sclair. Part of Bell Boulevard’s strength, Sclair said, comes from its ability to be as diverse as Queens itself. “The thing that makes Bell unique is that you have a sampling of everything that Queens has to offer,” Sclair said. “So you’re not going to go to Flushing for Caribbean food, but when you come to Bell you can basically get anything from Thai to Mexican.” Along with new businesses like Mr. Pollo coming to the area, older businesses have been able to reinvent themselves to attract more customers. Pizzeria According to Bayside’s Business Improvement District, business increased on Bell Boulevard in 2014. Uno on 39th Avenue recently renovated to accommodate sports fans with open spaces and larger televisions. And Cinco de Mayo opened a second location after business for the Mexican restaurant greatly increased over the year. Bell Boulevard is also expanding through new construction. “There’s a dearth of new office and retail space now online on Bell,” Sclair said. But for all of Bell’s strengths, Sclair hopes to solve some of the problems of reaching out to new customers. Because of the boulevard’s high rate of store changes, it’s hard for customers to know what is — and isn’t — open. For the new year, Sclair plans on closing this gap by relying more on social media and helping small businesses. Photo courtesy of the Bayside BID The commercial district, which is built on small businesses, will also have to figure out a way to stay competitive in the new year. The influx of several commercial centers nearby on Northern Boulevard can pose a threat to Bell Boulevard.
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