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RT11192015

4 times • NOVEMBER19, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com 104th Precinct announces new tactics to combat X-rated massage parlors By Kelly Marie Mancuso editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @RidgewoodTimes The ongoing battle against illegal massage parlors took center stage at the Nov. 17 meeting of the 104th Precinct Community Council at Sacred Heart Church in Glendale. Capt. Mark Wachter, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, touted the success of a new strategy he recently implemented to combat prostitution at so-called “day spas” throughout the command. The captain’s new strategy involves stationing a uniformed police officer outside of problematic locations where illicit activities have been reported in the hopes of discouraging perpetrators and potential clients. According to Wachter, this new approach seems to be working. After employing the new tactic, a suspected illegal massage parlor located at 69-29 Myrtle Ave. in Glendale refused to open and eventually shut its doors permanently after just five days. A uniformed officer has also been on patrol outside of the Dream Spa, located at 65-18 Myrtle Ave. in Glendale, for the past two weeks. According to Wachter, the establishment also refuses to open its doors and is expected to shut down soon as well. “If you’re a church, bodega or barber shop, you’re going to be happy to have a police officer in front of your place,” Wachter said. “If you’re an illegal massage parlor performing sexual services, you don’t want the cop in front of there. Nobody’s going to walk in there, and no one did.” Wachter was joined by Deputy Inspector Mike Cody, the new head of the Queens North Narcotics and Vice Enforcement Division. Cody explained that he is working to combat the problem throughout the northern part of the borough along with his team of one lieutenant, one sergeant, several officers and detectives and four undercover officers. “It’s a very dangerous job,” Cody added. “You don’t know what is behind that door.” According to Cody, his team has launched 35 investigations yielding 31 “prosecutable” arrests in the past year. Evidence gathered by his undercover team has also helped to shut down six illegal massage parlors, namely one on 69th St. in Glendale. Cody also announced that there are three active investigations currently underway, and he expects those establishments to be shuttered as well. In addition to foot patrols and undercover work, Wachter also called for wide sweeping legislative changes to help remedy the problem. The captain announced that he met with local leaders, including Assemblyman Mike Miller, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and state Senator Joseph Addabbo, to address the problem on a legal level. “The Police Department can only do so much,” he explained. “There needs to be a change in legal policy. There needs to be an easier ability to close the places that are plaguing your neighborhood. It’s easier to close a bagel store than a massage parlor right now, and that needs to be changed.” Photo by Kelly Marie Mancuso A patrol car and police officer currently stationed outside problematic and suspected illegal massage parlors, such as the Dream Spa at 65-18 Myrtle Ave. in Glendale. Maspeth street renamed for beloved local World War I hero BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@ridgewoodtimes.com @robbpoz Polish-Americans in Maspeth had even more reason to be proud of their heritage on Veterans Day, as the city officially renamed a neighborhood for a local man whose legacy lives on at one area veterans post. Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley held a ceremony on Nov. 11 at the corner of Maspeth Avenue and 64th Street renaming the location “Frank Kowalinski Way,” honoring a World War I veteran from the community and namesake of the area’s Polish Legion of American Veterans chapter. The Kowalinski Post, as it is called, stands just a few steps from the intersection. Numerous post members, including its commander Fred Gundel, were on hand for the ceremony along with Mateusz Stasiek, deputy consul general of the Polish Consulate in New York; Mary Ann Foules, president of the statewide Polish Legion of American Veterans chapter; Maspeth Federal Savings President Ken Rudzewick; Ron Wencer, a Kowalinski cousin; representatives of Assemblywoman Margaret Markey’s office; and other community leaders. Born in 1894 at a home on nearby Clinton Avenue, Kowalinski fought for the United States after it entered World War I in Europe. He died in combat in 1918 after suffering an injury. “Veterans Day is about honoring the men and women who bravely fought for our country, for our freedom,” said Crowley, who sponsored legislation in the City Council to have the intersection renamed. “I’m proud to honor Frank Kowalinski and the many members of the Frank Kowalinski post whose dedication and selflessness have kept Maspeth, Queens and New York City thriving for centuries.” Photo courtesy of City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley Members of the Polish Legion of American Veterans are among those pictured with City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley on Veterans Day at a street renaming ceremony honoring Frank Kowalinski, a Maspeth man who died while serving the U.S. in World War I.


RT11192015
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