Mayor de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bratton today announced the City will create a new 116th precinct to reduce response times and expand coverage for the growing neighborhoods of Southeast Queens. The City committed $70 million in the Capital plan for this new precinct.

“New York City is the safest big city in America thanks to the tireless dedication of the NYPD, and today we’re proud to announce a new police precinct for the residents of Southeast Queens. The 105th precinct is one of the City’s largest – and for decades, residents have wanted a precinct closer to home. Our investment in a new 116th precinct will address community needs, help reduce response times and bring an additional police presence to the fast-growing neighborhoods in Southeast Queens,” said Mayor de Blasio.

“The 105 Precinct is one of the largest in terms of geographical size. In recent years the Department has established a local substation in order to facilitate police service and response in the southern section of the precinct. By creating a separate command within this area, the NYPD will be able to provide more localized service to the community,” said Commissioner Bratton.

The new 116th precinct will be created out of the southern portions of the existing 105th precinct in Queens, and serve the communities of Laurelton, Rosedale, Brookville and Springfield Gardens. The precinct will address an increase in this area’s population and requests for law enforcement services, and help reduce response times. The current 105th Precinct has the 5th largest precinct population (118,577 residents) and the 5th largest square mileage (12.43 square miles) compared to the other 76 precincts.

The satellite precinct that currently provides additional support to the 105th precinct was expanded under Mayor de Blasio in February 2016. The Mayor added 24-hour coverage and expanded staffing to the satellite precinct, including an additional 18 officers and two sergeants.

The administration will work with the local community and the NYPD to identify a site for this precinct. The location, along with other relevant factors, will determine the timeline for completion. During the site search the existing 105th Precinct Satellite will continue to support police services. Upon the selection and approval of a location, an analysis will be undertaken to determine the precinct’s borders. The analysis will study factors such as geography, population, 911/311 calls, crime and quality of life issues with the goal of increasing services while distributing workload as equitably as possible. In connection with this analysis, stakeholders – including residents and elected officials – will be consulted.

(YWN Desk – NYC)