ASTORIA — There's a new top cop in the 114th Precinct.
Deputy Inspector Kevin Maloney is now leading the Astoria station house, taking over for Deputy Inspector Stephen Cirabisi, who held the post for the last three years.
Maloney is a 22-year veteran of the force, he told members of the 114th Precinct Community Council Tuesday night, who spent the last year and a half as commanding officer at the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway.
"I tremendously look forward to the assignment," Maloney told the crowd on Tuesday, saying the 114th Precinct has a "stellar reputation," among the NYPD.
"I've gotten phone calls from people that have worked here over the years calling me up, congratulating me and saying, 'That’s one of the best assignments I had,'" Maloney said.
Cirabisi, who is moving on to a new post with the NYPD's Office of the Chief of Department, said he knows the 114th Precinct will be in good hands.
"You have a great guy coming in," he said, of Maloney. "He’ll do great things for the command. I know he’s going to continue on where we left off."
Maloney takes over at a time when overall crime is down in the 114th Precinct, with a 10 percent drop in the seven major felonies this year compared to this time in 2012, according to NYPD statistics.