QUEENS

TWO DIE IN QUEENS FIRE

Two people died in an early morning fire in Queens yesterday, fire marshals said. The fire was reported just before 7 a.m. in a single-family home on Bedell Street in South Jamaica, according to police. The bodies of a man, 59, and a woman, 39, were recovered from the basement, where they lived together, police said. As of last night, their identities were not being released pending family notification, police said. The fire is not labeled as suspicious.

– Special to the Sun

POLICE BLOTTER

PRISONER ESCAPES FROM MANHATTAN COURT

A prisoner escaped from police custody inside a Manhattan court early yesterday morning, police said. Levy Whaley, 38, of Manhattan, disappeared around 6:30 a.m., shortly after being placed in a prisoners’ holding pen at Manhattan’s Criminal Court at 100 Centre St., police said. Police said Mr. Whaley, who was not handcuffed, had been arrested by Port Authority police Saturday night and had been charged with petit larceny. The prisoner was being held in a courtroom “feeder cell” located steps away from police headquarters and was awaiting his arraignment when he escaped quietly, police said. According to police, the court officers noticed he was missing when a prisoner count turned up one short around 7 a.m. Police do not believe Mr. Whaley is armed. He faces additional charges for escaping, police said.

– Special to the Sun

OFFICER ARRESTED FOR DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED

A Manhattan police officer was arrested and suspended for driving while intoxicated yesterday, police said. Darryl White was taken into police custody shortly after 2 a.m. yesterday following a traffic accident, police said. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and threatening behavior, reported police. Officer White, worked at the 23rd precinct on the Upper East Side, police said.

– Special to the Sun

CITYWIDE

NEW SUBWAY RULES TO TAKE EFFECT TODAY Walking between cars, putting feet on the seats, and jumping turnstiles – even when a MetroCard is broken – are now violations of city transit regulations as part of new rules that take effect today. As of 12:01 a.m., violators can face a fine, ejection, and/or arrest. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved the new rules – the first such change in a decade – in September. In some cases, the new rules are clarifications of existing regulations, a spokesman for New York City Transit said.

– Special to the Sun

REPORT: INCREASING COMPLAINTS FILED AGAINST POLICE OFFICERS

There were 3,308 complaints filed against police officers during the first half of 2005, the highest number in four years of steadily increasing numbers, according to a report issued today by the Civilian Complaint Review Board. The figure represents a 5% increase from last year, when 3,145 complaints were filed, reported CCRB, the independent agency that investigates allegations of police abuse. The report attributes the spike to the city’s 311 system, which allows civilians to lodge complaints over the telephone, rather than increased misconduct. The Police Department’s deputy commissioner of public information, Paul Browne, said: “This is still a relatively low number, in terms of millions of contact points police have with New Yorkers.”

– Special to the Sun