SUNNYSIDE — There's a new top cop at the 108th Precinct.
Capt. John Travaglia recently took the helm at the precinct — which includes Long Island City, Woodside and Sunnyside — replacing Capt. Brian Hennessy, who led the command there since the spring of 2013.
Travaglia comes with 22 years of experience with the NYPD, he told members of the precinct's Community Council recently. He spent the last seven months at the 114th Precinct in Astoria, and three and a half years before that at the 104th Precinct, which includes Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village and Maspeth.
"I have a familiarity with the area just by working in the 104 and the 114," he said at the Community Council's monthly meeting Tuesday night. "I look forward to working with the community."
Travaglia replaces Hennessy, who recently became the commanding officer of the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights.
Travaglia lauded his predecessor for leaving the 108th Precinct in "spectacular shape," and said he wants to partner with the community to continue that work.
"I'm not going to be able to fix every problem instantaneously, but I'm going to try to, and I'm going to make sure the men and women of the 108th Precinct try to fix those problems that are out there," he said at Tuesday's meeting. "Together we can do it."
Travaglia provided the Community Council with the precinct's most recent crime statistics for the last 28 days, saying overall crime was down 31 percent compared to the same period last year.
Robberies were down 8 percent, felony assaults down 18 percent, burglaries down 33 percent, grand larcenies down 30 percent and stolen cars down 55 percent, Travaglia said at Tuesday's meeting.
The 108th Precinct's Community Council meetings are held on the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Sunnyside Community Services, 43-31 39th St.
