20 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 9, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com THE COURIER/ Photo by Angy Altamirao The NYPD and Lion Cage Shredding hosted a free document shredding public event on Sunday, January 5. NYPD teams up for shredding event BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com The NYPD is working to make sure residents begin the new year on the right foot. Together with Lion Cage Shredding, located in Kew Gardens, and Macerich Properties, owner of Queens Center in Elmhurst, the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Section held a free document shredding event in front of the mall on Sunday, January 5,to make sure all kinds of personal info do not get into the wrong hands. “We want to help people stop becoming victims of identity theft,” said Sergeant Raymond Morales from the NYPD’s Community Affairs Bureau. “It’s important that the documents get destroyed properly. This is a fi rst major step on helping prevent identity theft.” During the event, people were able to bring in documents with personal information, dump them into two large garbage bins and watch them be destroyed inside the Lion Cage Shredding truck. “You have to be proactive in taking steps to protect yourself,” said Morales. Participants were also able to bring in their computer hard drives and watch them be destroyed. “I just think it’s great to do this for the community,” said Regina Pluchinotta, from Ozone Park, who brought in bags of documents to be shredded and watched as her hard drive was destroyed. “You try to be cautious and safe about it all.” Elmhurst resident Fabian Alsultany brought in two folding shopping carts fi lled with documents dating back to 1999 which were taking up room in his house. “This was a real Godsend,” said Alsultany. “This just makes life a lot easier.” The NYPD and Lion Cage Shredding will be working together with private companies and property owners in the next 10 months to hold document shredding events throughout the fi ve boroughs. The next stop will be in the Bronx and later dates and locations are to be determined. For more info on the document shredding events or any other NYPD events, visit www.nypdcommunityaffairs.com or text “NYPD” to 22828. And for more information on Lion Cage Shredding visit www.lioncage.com or www.facebook. com/LionCageShred. GREAT CAREERS HAVE SOLID STRUCTURE. ASSOCIATE DEGREES: • Architectural Technology • Building Construction Technology OPEN HOUSES: SAT, JANUARY 11, 2014 AT 11AM & WED, JANUARY 15, 2014 AT 6PM CALL TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT! NY’S LOWEST NET PRICE TUITION FOR 2-YR PRIVATE, NON-PROFIT COLLEGES!* Build yours at the Institute of Design & Construction. We have the dedicated faculty and small class sizes to get you prepared. INSTITUTE OF DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION 141 WILLOUGHBY ST., BROOKLYN, NY 11201 718-878-3709 • WWW.IDC.EDU SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2011, Institutional Characteristics component and Spring 2012, Student Financial Aid component. Full Service Web Design Free Consultation �� Are you happy with your current turn around time for updates? �� We specialize in doing updates quickly! �� Are you still running your business without a website? �� Economical solutions to meet your needs 516-541-3616 888-656-6141 www.NextWave-Solutions.com Investigate hate crime at Ozone Park church BY MAGGIE HAYES AND KATELYN DISALVO mhayes@queenscourier.com A Virgin Mary statue was beheaded in Ozone Park and it is being investigated as a hate crime, cops said. On the morning of Monday, January 6, offi cials at the St. Mary Gate of Heaven Roman Catholic church discovered the headless statue outside its doors. It was removed from the property shortly after. “If this is a hate crime against a church, I believe it’s demeaning and disrespectful toward the religion and the community,” said Alessandro Damico, a member of the St. Mary parish. Church representatives said police are investigating the incident and have no further comment. “This is not to be accepted, especially for an icon in our community, such as St. Mary’s Gate of Heaven,” said State Senator Joseph Addabbo. The 104th Street church lacks outdoor security cameras, so cops will search the surrounding community for similarly reported incidents, said a police source. The investigation is ongoing. A bill to increase the penalty for hate crimes passed the state in 2000. A current bill to once more increase the penalties for criminal activity at places of worship passed the state Senate in June 2013, but did not pass in the state Assembly. It will most likely be reintroduced next legislative session, according to Addabbo.
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