Ron Leyson bade farewell last night to the northeast Queens residents he has served for the past two years as deputy inspector of the 111th Precinct.
At Community Board 11’s monthly meeting in Bayside on Monday night, Leyson said he had taken over as the deputy inspector of the 110th Precinct, which covers Corona and Elmhurst.
“It’s been an honor to represent everyone,” he told the meeting’s attendees. “I feel we’ve built a relationship of trust between us. I wanted to personally thank you.”
Leyson also introduced CB 11 members to the 111th’s new captain, Jason Huerta, who has worked as captain for the 110th and 115th Precincts Impact Zones for the past three years.
“I’ve been making my rounds and I’m very impressed,” Huerta said of the northeast Queens neighborhoods covered by the precinct. “I grew up in Flushing, so I’m pretty familiar with the neighborhood. It’s a beautiful area.”
The new captain said he had already studied .
“There’s been a spike in property crimes, which the 111th Precinct is notorious for,” he said. “We’re asking people not to leave personal property in their vehicles and to keep good lighting around your homes.”
CB 11 members praised Leyson’s performance as the precinct’s deputy inspector and were pleased to meet its new captain.
But several members also said they were frustrated with the city Police Department’s decision to consistently replace the precinct’s leadership every few years.
“I think it’s awful we have a change of leadership every two years,” Board member Melvyn Meer said. “It’s a revolving door.”
Frank Skala, a CB 11 member and president of the East Bayside Homeowners Association, agreed with Meer’s assessment.
“Most of the captains have been very good,” he said of the precinct. “But suppose you took a principal out of a high school every two years and replaced him. There would be no continuity.”
The 111th Precinct covers Douglaston, Little Neck and Bayside.
