ELMHURST— A local lawmaker's proposal to have Roosevelt Avenue patrolled by one precinct has gotten the kibosh from the NYPD's commissioner and the local community board, who both think the thoroughfare is too big.
Two precincts currently patrol Roosevelt Avenue through Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights — the 115th on the north side, and the 110th on the south side.
Sen. Jose Peralta sent a letter to Commissioner Bill Bratton in November requesting they redraw the lines and have just one precinct monitor both sides of the avenue, though he didn't specify which one.
"A dividing line running miles down the center of a busy street makes no sense and almost certainly stretches resources thin," Peralta wrote.
"It also makes it more difficult to institute community policing measures when smaller neighborhood enclaves are split in half."
Bratton replied days later saying the lines were fine as they are.
"Although I would certainly not hesitate to initiate the process of realigning these boundaries if necessary, I believe the long established boundaries along Roosevelt Avenue have not impeded our efforts to reduce crime and improve quality of life conditions effectively," he wrote.
Roosevelt Avenue is a major target of Queens' Patrol Borough North, Bratton said, and also receives extra support from Operation Impact, which dispatches rookie police officers to patrol high-crime areas.
Last Thursday, members of Community Board 4 voted unanimously voted against proposal, saying the avenue is "far too large to be handled by just one precinct," according to district manager Christian Cassagnol.
CB4 still hopes to establish a Roosevelt Avenue Task Force that could help unite the busy avenue, which is the dividing line for two precincts, two Sanitation districts and two Community boards 3 and 4.
The board included its issues with the avenue in their annual "statement of needs," which is drafted by all community boards.
