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12 THE COURIER SUN • FEBRUARY 20, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com s police beat COMPILED BY TONIA N. CIMINO & CRISTABELLE TUMOLA Cement & Brick Work Scam warning De Blasio wants city to pay for NYCHA policing Old World Craftsmanship Cement & Brick Work CALL ARTIE Basement Water Proofing Specialist Serving Queens for 35 Years Serving Queens for 35 Years For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 Licensed #808097 and Insured Licensed #808097 and Insured Old World Craftsmanship CALL ARTIE Basement Water Proofing Specialist Pavers and Exposed Aggregate Concrete For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 We’re Waiting For YOU North Shore Animal League America Has Over 300 Dogs, Cats, Puppies And Kittens Available! 25 Davis Ave., Port Washington, NY AnimalLeague.org OPEN EVERY DAY: Sun – Thurs: 10am – 9pm Fri – Sat: 10am – 10pm Like us on Home of the Mutt-i-gree® 516.883.7575 facebook.com/TheAnimalLeague 104TH PRECINCT Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth, Ridgewood Staff changes Captain John Travaglia, who had been assigned to the 104th Precinct since October of 2011, has been transferred to the 114th Precinct. He will be replaced by Captain Timothy Brown. 109TH PRECINCT Downtown Flushing, East Flushing, Queensboro Hill, College Point, Malba, Whitestone, Beechhurst and Bay Terrace LIE crash kills two after car strikes tree Two people are dead after their vehicle hit a tree off of the Long Island Expressway, police said. The accident happened just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, February 18, near Utopia Parkway and Kissena Boulevard, between exits 24 and 25, cops said. An Audi sedan was driving westbound down the expressway when the car went off the roadway, turned on its side and crashed into a tree, police said. The vehicle’s male driver and female passenger, who have yet to be identifi ed by police, were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD. The investigation is ongoing. 113TH PRECINCT St. Albans, Hollis, Springfi eld Gardens, South Ozone Park, South Jamaica, Addisleigh Park and Locust Manor Arrest in city’s fi rst shooting death Police have arrested a man they say executed the city’s fi rst homicide of the year. Cops arrested Sheldon Smith, 26, on Monday, February 17 in connection to the January 1 death of Julio Mora, 22, of Richmond Hill. Police found Mora, who reportedly had a history of arrests, inside a 113th Avenue residence near Sutphin Boulevard with what initially appeared to be stab wounds to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner later determined Mora had died from a gunshot wound. Smith, who has reportedly been arrested 11 other times, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. BY MELISSA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com / @MelissaCourier Don’t be another phone scam victim, police and Congressmember Grace Meng are warning. Criminals, posing as authority figures, are either targeting immigrants with threats of deportation or calling victims to say they owe money to the IRS or to utility companies. Meng said scammers are posing as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials, asking for Social Security and passport numbers. The thieves then say payment is needed to fix immigration record problems, in many cases demanding victims use a Green Dot MoneyPak, police said. “These are not government officials trying to correct a problem. They are con artists trying to rip people off,” Meng said. Residents should be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason, police said. Cops also warn residents not to give out personal or financial information to anyone who calls or emails. Utility and government agencies will never say to pay immediately with Green Dot MoneyPak or even ask for payments over the phone, the NYPD said. Victims should call their local precincts or report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. Meng said constituents concerned about their immigration records can call her office at 718- 445-7860 or visit www.uscis.gov. The congressmember introduced an anti-spoofing bill last December, calling for penalties for those who use caller IDs to misrepresent themselves in order to get personal or financial information. BY MAGGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com / @magghayes The new administration wants to bring new policies to public housing. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has been paying millions to the NYPD for police services in recent years. NYCHA has an outstanding $52 million for this year, but Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in his preliminary budget proposal that he wants the city to foot the bill. De Blasio called this move “very important, and something long overdue.” “That money can now be utilized to allow NYCHA to address crucial, crucial needs – most especially, the huge repair backlog that many of us have spoken out on for years,” he said. Complaints continuously surface regarding disrepair in NYCHA buildings, including elevator malfunctions, boiler room breakdowns and more. “The $52 million in cost savings to NYCHA because of this will be a blessing for those who have been waiting for repairs in public housing for over a decade,” said Councilmember Donovan Richards via Facebook. City Comptroller Scott Stringer additionally told The Courier there is “a lot we can do to improve the living conditions” in NYCHA complexes. With the funds, de Blasio said the city will reduce outstanding work orders by 33 percent, increase response time for basic maintenance and skilledtrade orders, and create an independent inspection unit to monitor repairs. “It’s a crucial step forward for NYCHA,” de Blasio said. The mayor proposed that, for this year, the city, not NYCHA, pay the NYPD the $52 million. However, despite the proposal, it is unclear how the city will make this payment and de Blasio said the administration is still “dealing with a tremendous amount of uncertainty” regarding budget allowances. He said more will be known by April, after labor negotiations and the state budget and is determined.


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