By Ayala Ben-Yehuda
The 111th Precinct recorded its first murder in nearly two years when a suspected madam was found murdered in April in what police believed to be a Little Neck brothel, Police Department statistics for the year to date showed.
Felony assaults and grand larcenies have risen sharply in the precinct so far this year compared to the same span in 2002 according to the NYPD.
For the period from Jan. 1 through July 13 overall crime was up just over 4 percent from year-earlier levels in the northeast Queens precinct, which covers Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Hollis Hills and Auburndale.
But felony assaults were up 81.4 percent and grand larcenies increased 33.5 percent, according to the statistics, which track crime in seven major categories: murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto.
The 111th Precinct’s community affairs office could not be reached for comment.
The body of 50-year-old Emilia Alvarado was found April 16 with a single gunshot wound to the head in what police said was a house of prostitution off Northern Boulevard. The homicide was the first in the 111th Precinct since July 2001, when a man was found behind the Seville Diner in Douglaston with a slashed throat.
Reported felony assaults in the precinct jumped from 27 to 49 and grand larcenies increased from 197 to 263 incidents, the statistics show.
The lowest threshold for a grand larceny charge is theft in excess of $1,000, according to the Queens district attorney’s office.
Robberies also increased in the 111th Precinct this year, posting a 22.4 percent increase from 49 to 60 incidents compared to this time last year.
But car theft, traditionally a problem in the 111th Precinct, dropped nearly 22 percent in the first half of this year. It remained the second-most reported crime in the precinct after grand larceny, with 210 incidents so far this year compared to 269 this time last year.
Burglary came in at a close third with 209 such cases reported in 2003, a 4 percent drop from similar statistics for the precinct last year.
The statistics show that rapes dropped by 25 percent in the precinct this year, but only three rapes were reported in 2003 compared to four during the same period last year.
Across all seven categories, the 111th Police Precinct recorded 795 crimes for the first 6 1/2 months of 2003 compared to 764 a year earlier.
Reach reporter Ayala Ben-Yehuda by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
