Other residents agreed that keeping the 1st in their community would be in the best interest of the area. Several people who attended a recent Board of Education meeting, including Patrice Raichlin and Lori Fitzpatrick, said they supported the choice to keep the 1st open. Resident Karyn Reid added that she was thrilled because she was concerned that residents would not have enough resources in a time of need.

Tracy Mahler explained that her home was broken into recently, and said she was happy that the 1st would continue to operate. “I think it’s awesome,” she said. “Baldwin is the center of activity in Nassau County. Why move the precinct to Seaford?”

At the precinct, Beccaris said that she and her fellow officers hope the suspension of the Baldwin-Seaford merger isn’t temporary.

“There’s a saying, If it isn’t broke, don’t try and fix it,” she said. “I think that applies in this instance in keeping the 1st Precinct as is, open once and for all.” 

Crime rates before/after precinct mergers

Precinct              Major Crimes reported          Major Crimes Reported
                                  1/1/12 - 4/8/12                      1/1/13 - 4/8/13
1 (in Baldwin)                  317                                                                    246
2 (absorbed 8)                407                                                                   348
3 (absorbed 6)                501                                                                   592
4 (absorbed 5)                470                                                                   508
7 (in Seaford)                  131                                                                    159

Chris Connolly contributed to this story.