FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com MARCH 17, 2016 • THE COURIER SUN 19 Resources needed to fi ght crime in Queens BY QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY RICHARD A. BROWN oped Unprecedented advancements in technology have dramatically changed our lives for the better. At the same time, however, some advancements have had an unintended c o n s e q u e n c e — creating new opportunities for criminals. As prosecutors we constantly strive to move forward — not simply to keep pace but to stay ahead of any new and emerging crime trends. Which is why, in testifying before the City Council earlier this month, I advocated for increased funding to expand our information technology departments. I believed that by better harnessing available technology we can greatly enhance our ability to combat such challenges. At the same time, my offi ce seeks to add crucially needed new initiatives to our operations. Along those lines, we look to obtain funding to increase the number of Queens DA detectives. These detectives are an integral part of my offi ce and provide essential trial and investigative support. Another critical area of concern is our physical space. With current staffi ng at over eight times of that which existed when the offi ce’s main facility was built nearly 60 years ago, the offi ce has simply outgrown the space allotted to it — and that continues to have a devastating effect on both the effi ciency of our offi ce and our staff’s dayto day living conditions. The offi ce is presently operating close to 90,000 square feet short of where it should be in usable offi ce space and urgently requires additional monies to address the spacing shortfall. While we continue to explore various options with the city an obvious solution is to renovate the long vacant Queens House of Detention into usable offi ce space for my staff. The cost-benefi t of such a consolidation would reduce offi ce costs, as well as have the added savings of the city not having to pay to maintain an empty building. We are pleased that the city has commissioned a study to explore long-term solutions to our space needs. Finally, in order to achieve fi scal stability with our budget, we seek baselined funding from the city — instead of a one-shot funding stream — to staff a comprehensive anti-gun, anti-violence initiative to address ongoing concerns of gun violence and shooting incidents in Queens County. As I have said in the past, the District Attorney’s Offi ce is a key partner in the criminal justice system, along with the police, probation and the courts. We must work collaboratively to ensure that each of our offi ces is given the criminal justice and public safety dollars that we need to do our jobs to maintain and advance the effi ciency and effectiveness of the entire system. Richard A. Brown has been Queens district attorney since 1991. The L train, also called the Canarsie Line, has been in the news recently over the MTA’s plans to shut down part of the line for long-term repairs. Here’s a picture of the L train pulling into the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues station in Ridgewood from 1987. The graffi ti-covered train cars look nothing like the more modern fl eet of computerized cars running on the line these days. We want your historic photos of Queens! Share them with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages, email them to editorial@qns.com, or mail them to The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you. letters & comments ELCOME FROM NEW QUEENS LIBRARY BOSS... It is an honor to lead Queens Library in the important work of empowering and serving the people of this borough. I have lived in Queens most of my life and got my fi rst library card from the St. Albans branch when I was in elementary school. My wife, Denise, was an active Friend of Cambria Heights Library. I know fi rsthand what Queens Library means to the life of our community and our city. In the time since my appointment, I have visited nearly half of our branches and met hundreds of outstanding staff and enthusiastic customers. Residents of all ages, from every walk of life and every corner of the world, count on our services every day. Queens Library provides — free to everyone, with just a library card — incredible opportunities for lifelong learning, intellectual growth and civic and cultural engagement. It is clear that we epitomize some of the best that libraries have to offer. Yet we have a lot of work to do to ensure everyone in every neighborhood in Queens benefi ts from world-class library services that meet the diverse needs of the community now and in the years to come. Your input is welcome and vital. I will continue to visit all of our locations and to reach out to you for your ideas and perspectives. I look forward to working with everyone in the community, Queens Library’s hardworking and dedicated staff, the board of trustees, and elected offi cials to advance one of the greatest and most dynamic institutions of our city. Dennis Walcott, president and CEO, Queens Borough Public Library ...BUT ONE READER ALREADY ISN’T A FAN It is unfathomable how Dennis Walcott can say that he has always been a big believer in working with the staff and maximizing potential. Is this the same Dennis Walcott whose objective as schools chancellor was to fi re his way to better student outcomes? Or is it the Dennis Walcott who enthusiastically supported Mayor Bloomberg’s effort to deprive school bus drivers and matrons of a living wage? One can only hope that while at the library he checks out a few books on the importance of a good working relationship between labor and management. Maybe then he will understand how wrong former Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee was when she said that collaboration is way overrated. Robert Berger, retired teacher, Bellerose DEBUNKING DONALD’S STATEMENTS AND SUPPORTERS Many Trump supporters exiting the polls have been quoted as saying they voted for The Donald because “he speaks his mind and I like that.” What a dumb statement if there ever was one! Hitler and Mussolini spoke their minds, too, and look what happened in Europe. Because somebody speaks their mind is no qualifi cation for anything, except for foot-in-mouth disease. You can’t have a president who speaks his mind and thinks later. That would be a disaster. Other Trump supporters say that Trump will “make America great again.” America is already great and is getting better and better every day under President Obama’s leadership. We’ve recovered from the worst fi nancial crisis since the great depression. Our future looks good. The auto industry has been saved, and new car sales are through the roof. Unemployment has been reduced to around 4.9 percent and thousands of new jobs are created each month. Home sales are increasing, and new building is surging. Twenty million more people have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act ,reducing emergency room costs that we all had to pay for. We continue to make progress on all fronts. Building casinos is very different than creating policy and working with Congress and foreign leaders. No highly successful businessman has ever made a successful president; look at history. Business and government are diabolically opposing ideas. Businesses are in business to make a profi t, employees are expendable. Government’s purpose is to serve the people, by providing services for the common good. People and service is important, not profi ts. My sense is that although Trump seems to be winning the caucuses and primaries, the vast majority of Republicans who haven’t voted are horrifi ed and ashamed about his being the Republican candidate for president, if it comes to that. This may cause many of them to stay home in the general election, or even vote for Hillary, the anti-Trump, and wait it out until the election in 2020. Tyler Cassell, Flushing As with all letters, the views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Schneps Communications or its employees. A LOOK BACK
SC03172016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above