By Ivan Pereira
The councilman said he was greatly concerned about the recent police statistics within his district concerning rape and other sexual assault crimes. As of March 23, there was a 12 percent increase in reported rape crimes across the city and that number was even larger neighborhoods covered by Queens Patrol South, where there was a 21.4 percent increase, according to Comrie.”If we don't become more active on this issue, it will be harder for us to deal with crime in our community,” he said.The councilman invited the commanding officers of Queens South and the 103rd, 105th and 113th Precincts, along with members of the NYPD's Special Victim's Unit, to give residents tips on not only how to prevent sexual assaults, but also on how to help victims. The officers strongly recommended that anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse immediately report it.Even though people see sex offenders as nasty criminals who belong locked up, many have serious psychological problems that lead to their lewd behavior, according to Assistant District Attorney Lucinda Suarez, the SVU deputy chief.”It is important to report crimes because not everyone is a sex offender. We put a lot of the offenders into programs and we don't see a lot come back and commit crimes,” she said.For those offenders who are malicious, Suarez said, several laws have been enacted in the city that impose tougher punishments on such criminals. One such law is the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act, passed last year, which mandates long-term counseling for offenders after they serve their prison sentence.Despite the new legal procedures, some residents expressed displeasure at the lack of police activity against predators. Inspector Timothy Pearson, commanding officer of Queens South, reassured residents that the police were doing their best, but also said it was not easy to conduct investigations quickly.”When there are acquaintance rapes, we have to do more work to get a thorough and unbiased investigation,” he said.Queens Patrol South includes the 103rd, 113th and 105th Precincts, the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows, the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill, the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park and the 100th Precinct and 101st Precinct in the Rockaways.The SVU representatives also let residents know about various resources and hotlines for victims to turn to for help. Sgt. Grace-Marie O'Donnell showed residents a video showcasing the Queens Child Advocacy Center, located at 112-25 Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills.The center serves as a comfortable and safe environment where younger victims and their parents can go and talk to SVU officers, prosecutors, counselors and other professionals about their attack and get help.”Here your child can talk to everyone they need to at one time instead of multiple sessions,” O'Donnell said. “In this center, we have people who know what they are looking at.”For more information, log on to safehorizon.org or call 1-800-621-HOPE (4673).Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
