CRIME FALLS IN QUEENS District Attorney Highlights 2014 Efforts In Annual Report pornographers, as well as sex traffickers and sexual predators who attempt to meet underage children on-line for sexual relations,” Brown added. In the effort to prevent crime and to help turn young lives around, the Special Prosecutions Division ensures that Brown’s office has a presence in all of the communities by running many crime prevention, school-based and community outreach programs, and staff members attend precinct council and community board meetings. “We have dedicated Child Advocacy and Family Justice Centers and a Domestic Violence Bureau that maintains the highest domestic violence conviction rate and the lowest dismissal rate in the city and which takes more pre-indictment pleas than the rest of the city combined,” Brown said. “New York City’s two major airports are located in Queens County and are often the first point of contact for tourists,” he added. “As tourism is one of New York’s most revenue-producing industries, it is vitally important to our economic health that we provide a safe and welcoming environment at our airports.” In 2014 two major investigations of contract baggage workers were concluded, charging 10 baggage handlers and other airport employees with stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of credit cards and other valuables from passengers’ bags, as well as checks and monetary items from U.S. mail being loaded onto outbound international flights, according to Brown. “We also continue to prosecute unregulated taxis and unscrupulous drivers at the airports who unlawfully solicit fares and charge exorbitant rates to drive passengers the shortest of distances,” Brown continued. “In addition, we have prosecuted travelers who have attempted to bring weapons onboard aircrafts, as well as airport workers, screeners and passengers who stole money and valuables from travelers as they passed through 5 • TIMES, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 by Anthony Giudice With 2014 in the rear-view mirror, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown delivered his year-end crime report to the residents of Queens County last Friday, Jan. 2. Brown noted that the borough was once again among the city’s leaders in crime reduction in 2014. Queens saw a 2.65 percent decline in serious crimes compared to the previous year, with an 18.15 percent drop in robberies and an 8.5 precent decrease in burglaries, according to the report. “During the more than two decades that I have had the privilege and honor of serving as district attorney of Queens County, my office has steadfastly committed itself to ensuring a safe environment for those who live, work and visit in Queens County,” said, Brown, who just began his 24th year as Queens County’s chief prosecutor this year. “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 are down 81.40 percent and felony assaults are down 40.65 percent,” Brown continued. During 2014, Brown’s office handled more than 77,000 arrest cases that range from quality of life offenses to serious violent crimes. According to Brown, the preliminary numbers for last year show that his office statistically maintained the best arrest to arraignment time in the city, cutting that time by almost nine percent from the previous year. He also noted that the arrest to sworn complaint time is the best, meaning that they are able to get police officers back on the streets faster than any other borough. Brown gave credit to the assertive bail jumping program, in which defendants are indicted if they fail to appear in court for their felony cases, which has led to 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 confidence of the people of Queens County,” Brown said. Brown also noted that his office has “vigorously pursued hate crimes cases against those individuals who chose their victims based on their religion, sexuality, the color of their skin and other factors and those who target older victims.” His office pursued illegal cigarette traffickers, organized trademark counterfeiting rings as well as legitimate businesses that cheat the government out of millions of dollars every year. On a more local level Brown focused his attention on quality of life issues such as, burglaries, home invasions and combating graffiti—which, he stated, leads to decreased property values and is expensive to remove. “We continue to do our part in protecting our younger residents by going after on-line child -SEE CRIME ON PG. 24- 61-80 Metropolitan Ave. Middle Village, NY 11379 61-59 Metropolitan Ave. TWO LOCATIONS: OPEN 7 DAYS Middle Village, NY 11379 TTHHIIISS WWEEEEKKSS SSPPEECCIIIAALLSS!!! 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