CITYWIDE

NEW CHIEF OF POLICE FOR MTA SWORN IN

Transit officials swore in a new chief of police yesterday for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, less than a month after the former chief, Thomas Lawless, died of pancreatic cancer. The new chief, Kevin McConville, 48, is a 23-year veteran of the force who rose through the ranks from detective and sergeant to become First deputy chief, and will now lead the 725-member Police Department, which is responsible for patrolling the Metro-North Railroad and Grand Central Terminal; the Long Island Rail Road and Pennsylvania Station; Long Island Bus and Staten Island Rapid Transit, and nine bridges and tunnels. – Special to the Sun

OFFICIALS: QUEENSBORO BRIDGE TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL TODAY

After reopening the Queensboro Bridge yesterday, transportation officials closed parts of the upper level last night. Both levels of the bridge had been temporarily closed after a fire Tuesday. Last night, repair crews made more repairs to the road and bridge damaged by the three-alarm blaze that began on a site where workers were repainting the bridge. Transportation officials said the bridge would be fully open in time for rush hour today. – Special to the Sun

STATEWIDE

JUDGE FINES COMPANY FOR SELLING FAKE ‘FREEDOM TOWER’ COIN

A state judge yesterday ordered a Westchester company to pay nearly $370,000 in fines for selling a fake “Freedom Tower” coin it promoted as being made from silver recovered at ground zero. The ruling stems from a 2004 advertising campaign in which the Port Chester-based National Collectors Mint sold metal alloy coins as silver dollars minted in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which is not authorized to mint legal tender. In actuality, the coins had a value of about $.014. The attorney general’s office launched an investigation, and a judge ordered the company to issue refunds, which totaled $2.2 million.

– Special to the Sun

ALBANY

PIRRO: GOP DOESN’T WANT CHILD MOLESTERS NEXT DOOR

Jeanine Pirro, a Republican district attorney looking to unseat Senator Clinton, came under fire yesterday for portraying Democrats as coddlers of child molesters and murderers. During a speech to Chemung County Republicans on Tuesday night, Mrs. Pirro continued her criticism of the Democratic-controlled state Assembly for its refusal to adopt legislation that would civilly confine violent sex offenders after their prison sentences end. “That’s a difference between Democrats and Republicans – we don’t want them next door molesting children and murdering women,” said the Westchester County prosecutor, according to yesterday’s Elmira Star-Gazette newspaper. Her comments drew a sharp rebuke from the Clinton camp, and a demand for an apology. – Associated Press

BROOKLYN

TENANTS’ ASSOCIATION SLAPPED WITH MORE THAN 1,300 VIOLATIONS

A Brooklyn tenants’ association yesterday was slapped with more than 1,300 housing violations after a sweeping city inspection of its 27 apartment buildings. Inspectors from four city agencies cited the Oceanhill Brownsville Tenants Association, headed by Abdur Rahman Farrakhan, for conditions that included rat and roach infestations, blocked emergency exits, structural decay, and water leaks. The city inspected 167 apartments, and found animal infestations in all but four of the buildings. – Special to the Sun

POLICE BLOTTER

SCHOOL AIDE ARRESTED ON RAPE CHARGE

Police arrested a 22-year-old school aide, Jesse Lozado, yesterday for allegedly repeatedly raping a 15-year-old student at Jane Adams Vocational High School for Eighth-Twelfth graders at 900 Tinton Ave., in the Bronx. Police said the abuse occurred over three to five consecutive days. Police charged Mr. Lozado – who lives on Webster Avenue less than one mile from the school – with multiple counts of rape and endangering the welfare of a child. It was not immediately clear how long Mr. Lozado had been employed by the Department of Education. His job as a school aide could entail tasks such as cafeteria duty and hallway monitoring. “Jesse Lozado has been suspended without pay for inappropriate behavior,” a spokesman for the Department of Education, Keith Kalb, said. – Staff Reporter of the Sun

MAN ALLEGEDLY SNATCHES GIRL FROM STREET, RAPES AND ABANDONS HER

A man snatched a 13-year-old girl from the street yesterday when she was walking home from school in Long Island City and raped her, police said. At about 3:40 p.m. yesterday, the suspect, 25, approached the girl on 72nd Street and Queens Boulevard, a highly commercial area with large businesses including car several dealerships lining the street. He exited his light green minivan and asked the girl for directions, police said. She attempted to walk away, but he allegedly punched her in the face and pulled her into the vehicle at knifepoint. The suspect raped the girl and stole her cell phone and cash before driving her a short distance and abandoning her. He fled in the van. She was treated and released from Elmhurst General Hospital. – Staff Reporter of the Sun