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NYPD reopens Central Park Precinct station house – Metro US

NYPD reopens Central Park Precinct station house

(Credit: Getty Images) The landmark building houses the city’s 22nd precinct that patrols Central Park. Credit: Getty Images

The Central Park Precinct station house reopened this morning after a multimillion-dollar renovation.

The historical landmark, which used to be stables and sheds, houses the city’s 22nd precinct that patrols Central Park.

NYPD department chief Joseph Esposito, whose last day on the force is tomorrow, helped open the precinct. He has held the job for a record 12 years.

“With the opening today of the beautifully restored Central Park Precinct station, we have updated a police station that dates back to 1936,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg also noted the crime rate in the park, which he said is down by 20 percent since 2001.

NYPD statistics show four crimes so far this year in Central Park, as of March 17: two robberies and two grand larcenies.

The precinct now has new phones and computers, and improved heating and air conditioning, Bloomberg said. It also has a partially bulletproof glass atrium.

“It brings a 19th-century station house into the 21st century,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Present at the ribbon-cutting was Detective Steven McDonald, who was shot and paralyzed in 1986 when he stopped to question three young men in the park.