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Merrick Life • Bellmore Life • Freeport-Baldwin Leader • Wantagh-Seaford Citizen

“We’re upset,” said  county Legislator Joseph Scannell (D- Baldwin, Fifth Legislative District) referring to County Executive Edward Mangano’s plan to close four of the eight police precincts in Nassau County, including the First Precinct in Baldwin.     
   
“This is about crime,”  he stated. “Do you feel safe? I don’t. This plan is not safe for the people in Baldwin and not safe for the people in the First Precinct.”
   
Other communities covered by the First Precinct include Merrick and Bellmore, north of Sunrise Highway, as well as Roosevelt and Uniondale.  County Executive Mangano’s plan would convert the four closed precincts – the first, the fifth, the sixth and the eighth –  into community policing centers that would be manned by two police officers, 24 hours a day, seven days a week in an effort to trim $20 million from the county budget.
   
But at a public meeting held at the Baldwin Public Library on Tuesday,  many residents remained skeptical about the plan. How will the closure effect the community? What are the actual savings? What about the county’s $15 million renovation, already approved to refurbish the First precinct? Why close the First Precinct when it is one of the busiest in the county? Why are three of the four precinct closures in Democratic legislative districts? Is this process mired in ‘politics’?
   
On Monday the county legislature’s public safety committee held a meeting to discuss the plan to downgrade four precincts to “community policing centers,” but the meeting became “contentious,” said Mr. Scannell.
   
Legislator David Denenberg (D-Merrick, 19th legislative district), told residents that Monday’s hearing “provided no financial analysis. There is no doubt that we pay too much in taxes; there are budgetary constraints we must deal with but where else can we cut? Why not look at personnel service contracts? What about using revenue from some of the new fees that the county is collecting? But they gave us no answers.”

More police on street
Deputy County Executive Rob Walker and Deputy Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter provided details of the county plan at the Tuesday meeting,  claiming it will eliminate 156 administrative positions, save taxpayers $20 million and not effect service in any way.
   
“The county looked at every model. Today, we are operating on a 1970 police model, but each [patrol] car has a computer. Shift changes do not take place at precincts,” explained Mr. Walker, who added that the police contract requires that 38 police officers be in each precinct handling administrative tasks.
   
While the plan would eliminate the precinct, the number of patrol cars would not be effected. “Now your 911 call goes to New Cassel, not the first precinct. We will still keep 177 cars out on the street. We are putting 48 more police officers back on the street,” he said.
   
The First Precinct will become a “community policing center,” which Mr. Walker called a misnomer. “We need a better name,” he said.
   
The $15 million set aside for the First Precinct building will still be used to refurbish the building.
   
Mr. Krumpter  admitted that the First Precinct is the second busiest precinct in the county (just behind the fifth precinct in Elmont) with 61,775 calls for service, and is in a corridor known for gang activity. But the county decided to divide Nassau into four quadrants, with each of the four remaining precincts covering a quadrant.
   
Additionally, the “buildings are very old and we need major infrastructure repair,” he told residents. The area presently served by the First Precinct will be absorbed into the Seventh Precinct.

Strong reactions
“The Seventh Precinct doesn’t have the cells [to hold violators],” said Legislator Denenberg.
   
“We will have a new building here. Put the precinct here,” said one woman.
   
Mr. Walker said the Seventh Precinct would only need minor changes. “We’ll provide more details at Monday’s hearing. Come to the legislature,” he said, referring to a new hearing date on Monday, February 13, at 11 a.m.
   
“If you downgrade these precincts to community policing centers there will fewer patrol cars,” said one woman who pointed to the police contract that requires patrol cars based on the number of precincts.
   
“That will be something for the lawyers to figure out,” replied Mr. Walker.
   
There was also some discussion on the robo calls to county residents  claiming that without this plan the county would have to increase taxes 19%.
   
“State law caps our taxes at 2%,” explained Mr. Scannell.’It’s scare tactics.”
   
”What I’m hearing is that I’m getting something for nothing,” stated one man. “I’m skeptical.”
   
“I respect that you are trying to save us money,” concluded the final speaker. “But this doesn’t sound thought through. Why didn’t you do town meetings and come to us before this? It sounds like it’s being fast-tracked.”

By Laura Schofer

Laura Schofer, staff writer for L&M Publications, has been recognized with several awards for many of her feature pieces published in Bellmore and Merrick Life, The Citizen and The Leader.

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