108th Precinct Cops Foil Bridge Jumper's Suicide
BY THOMAS COGAN

At 4:45 Monday morning, September 2, 108th Precinct Police Officers Jason Hernandez and Anthony Scavetta were notified of the presence of a man on scaffolding on the upper roadway of the Queensboro Bridge. They went up to find someone seriously considering jumping from the bridge, no doubt to his death. They persuaded him to come down, then delivered him to treatment. It was all in an early morning's work, but it gained them recognition as Cops of the Month at the September meeting of the 108th Precinct Community Council, where Precinct Commander Deputy Inspector Thomas Kavanagh presented them with plaques and the thanks of area residents.

Kavanagh next read a crime report that covered only the last four weeks. It showed a general lessening of offenses but also an increase in rapes and vehicle thefts. There was one murder, too, a relative rarity within the confines of the precinct.

Kavanaugh was gratified that the number of robberies fell during the month, from 21 to 13, because he sees that statistic as indicative of the command's effectiveness. But he had to note the worst statistics too, showing that there was a murder and that the number of rapes increased to three from one. The murder occurred at 64th Street and Laurel Hill Avenue, where a homeless man strangled a homeless woman. In each of the rapes, attacker and victim were known to each other. But assault, another physical crime, declined markedly. Burglaries were off too, but only from 26 to 21. As a particularly problematic section for burglaries, Commander Kavanagh cited a triangular residential area formed by Roosevelt Avenue, 58th Street and the north-south curve of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Two Roosevelt Avenue restaurants were also broken into, he said. Grand larcenies held fairly steady, coming in at 39, compared to 41; but grand larceny auto increased to 26 from 19, with a number of truck thefts included.

When the commander welcomed questions he got many, but only after the inquirers overcame a shyness to be first. The one who did lead was Woodside resident Al Volpe, who continued his complaint against bicycle lanes in Woodside and Sunnyside. Kavanagh said that the Department of Transportation installed the lanes, and responded to further criticism from Volpe by saying that as a city employee he would refrain from criticizing other city agencies. Sunnyside Business Improvement District Executive Director Glenn Yule felt no such restraint, having retired from the NYPD early this year. He said that DOT might even take away automobile lanes on either side of Queens Boulevard for bike lanes. He found such action high-handed and said that if DOT persisted with what he called such "ramrod" behavior he would call for a public protest meeting. Others complained about the danger of bike riders on sidewalks or how confusing or contradictory bike lanes can be on street surfaces.

A woman living on 40th Street near the Queens Midtown Expressway complained of graffiti in her neighborhood. She added that somebody has been stripping rain gutters from houses there; also that homeless persons pick at household trash or invade local yards and steal small items they find therein. Kavanagh praised Patrol Officer Maro Youssef's work cleaning up graffiti and pledged a steady response by the precinct to complaints about the vandalism. Students have returned to local schools such as Queens Vocational and Aviation High Schools and their presence on nearby streets was lamented by several at the meeting. One man said that his troubles came not from the high schools but from P.S. 150, on 43rd Avenue at 40th Street. He said he had been assaulted more than once after getting into disagreements with youths hanging around the school playground. P.S. 150 is an elementary school, but apparently the man's problems were caused by young men beyond the primary grades. He said his wife and children have been threatened too, and that complaints submitted to the school's principal have not been answered.

There was further notice of trucks and motorcycles speeding along a straightaway stretch of 47th Avenue, near 39th Place. The motorcyclists even do wheelies. Lieutenant Mark Wachtel said he would ask DOT engineers to do a study of the street, which might eventually lead to installing speed bumps. The lieutenant said he visits bars and grocery stores along the way, checking to see if they are selling alcoholic beverages to high school students and other underage persons. He said he wished he would never find any sign of such sales but sometimes he does. Grocery stores can be ticketed if caught making illegal sales. That could lead to a 30-day ban on selling anything.

Deputy Inspector Kavanagh could only tell his audience that it takes time to address the many offenses and annoyances described by the speakers, so he begged their patience. Pat Dorfman of the community council made a valedictory statement for the meeting by saying that the precinct's response during Kavanagh's first year has been exceptional and meritorious.