Sen. Peralta and elected officials demand the renovation of the 110th Police Precinct in Corona and the Construction of a Precinct Satellite station at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

(East Elmhurst, NY) – Fiorello LaGuardia was the mayor of New York City and President Franklin D. Roosevelt was reelected to a third term when the now dilapidated 110^th Police Precinct building, located at 94-41 43^rd Avenue in Corona, opened its doors. It was 1940. Now, State Senator Jose Peralta, U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley, Assemblymember Francisco Moya and community leaders are calling for a substantial renovation of the stationhouse. In addition, they are also proposing the construction of a Precinct Satellite station within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Senator Peralta, Representative Crowley and Assemblymember Moya wrote a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraging them to support funding for these two vital projects that would go toward meeting the public safety needs of their constituents. The letter, which was sent today to the Governor and the Mayor, notes, “For far too long, our community’s police officers have been working in subpar conditions at the 110^th Precinct’s dilapidated stationhouse. We must act to support these professionals with the proper facilities that they need in order to best carry out their duties.”

The 110^th Police Precinct at its current location was inaugurated in January of 1940, and since then, it hasn’t undergone any major renovations. “Fiorello LaGuardia was the mayor of New York when the current 110^th Police Precinct location was inaugurated. The actual structure is in a state of blatant disrepair as it hasn’t seen a substantial renovation since. More than 75 years passed by, so the need for a complete facelift, a radical makeover, is obvious,” said Senator Peralta. “As the population continues to increase in Corona and its surrounding neighborhoods, we need additional resources to ensure we address all public safety concerns, in all areas of the 110^th Precinct's jurisdiction.”

“We owe it to the men and women who we entrust to keep us safe, to provide them with the proper resources to effectively carry out their jobs,” said Rep. Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx). “For the officers of the NYPD’s 110th Precinct in Corona, that means being able to work out of a facility that’s up to standards as well as from a strategically placed substation to better fight crime within their jurisdiction, which includes the second-largest park in the city. Allowing the 110th Precinct station house to fall into further disrepair is not fair to them and it’s not fair to the people they are sworn to protect. I’m pleased to join Senator Peralta and Assemblyman Moya in this effort as we work toward addressing these critical public safety needs in our own community.”

“This police precinct building needs a complete renovation. The community has been demanding reforms to the stationhouse for decades, and although the police officers have done a wonderful job protecting us, we have to make sure we provide them with the proper facilities they need so they can keep us safe. I hope the Governor and the Mayor hear our concerns and support our efforts with proper funding for the renovation of the stationhouse and the construction of a substation at the park,” said Assemblymember Moya (D-Jackson Heights).   

The complete renovation of the 110^th Police Precinct will cost approximately $70 million. The problems facing the stationhouse are very similar to the ones that plagued the Central Park Police Precinct, which was recently underwent a $61 million renovation.

“Our officers are working in subpar conditions at the stationhouse, and even though they have met these challenges with honor and pride, we have to ensure that we provide them with safe and modern facilities,” added Senator Peralta.

“We are elated to hear that both of these decades-old requests from our community are receiving the support and attention they deserve, and we stand by our Elected officials in backing these requests. Our officers deserve better, our community deserves better, and with this kind of support, we hope to finally see these requests come to fruition,” said Louis Walker, Chairperson of Community Board 4.

Our Organization has been requesting for years that the 110th Precinct be re built at it present site 94-41-43rd Ave. in Elmhurst, Queens and  for a Satellite Station in Flushing Meadow Corona Park. We are so grateful to Senator Jose Peralta for listening to our request and for working towards the funds needed to build a new 110th Precinct,” said Lucy Schilero, President of the Coalition of United Reidents for a safer Community.

In addition, Senator Peralta, Representative Crowley and Assemblymember Moya demanded support for the construction of a Precinct Satellite station within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, especially in light of increasing crime and gang-activity, a constant concern for the community and park-goers. According to statistics, last year there were 48 serious crimes reported at the park, including eight felony assaults and seven robberies. They noted in the letter that the park is home to Citi Field, the U.S. Open, the Queens Museum,  the Queens Zoo, Queens Theater in the Park and the New York Hall of Science. They wrote, “If we allow crime to flourish within the park, the public’s perception of safety will be entirely derailed as a result.”

Another factor for favoring the construction of the substation has to do with travel time. Without traffic, it would take a police car ten minutes to reach the portion of the park that is closest to the existing stationhouse. However, during rush hour, several thoroughfares are often congested, doubling the time of response in the case of emergencies. “This delay detracts from effective police response times and places residents and visitors in the way of harm,” the letter notes.