Mayors act on safety

Calling security and safety a top priority, the mayors of the villages of Woodsburgh, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Bay Park and Hewlett Neck have taken measures that they hope will keep their residents safe and secure.
Meeting regularly, the mayors work together to improve what they are doing in partnership with the Nassau County Police Department. Village residents have had their cars stolen, and been victims of what are termed “crimes of opportunity,” when vehicles are left unlocked and property is taken. There have also been robberies in the nearby communities of Woodmere and Hewlett.
In Woodsburgh, a number of cameras have been installed throughout the village, and in a pilot program that began recently, a private security force, with two cars, patrols the village at certain times seven days a week in conjunction with the NCPD, Mayor Lee Israel said.
Residents have been made aware that they could reduce the risk of crime by locking their vehicle doors, leaving their house lights on when they’re not at home and installing alarm systems.
Woodsburgh plans to install license plate readers at various points in the village in the near future. The readers collect and analyze data to find potential crime suspects in substantially less time — days instead of weeks or months.

“We are all aware that NCPD has a tough job and assets are spread thin, especially when these resources are being pulled to areas of higher crime, such Hempstead, Freeport and Inwood, etcetera,” Israel said. “As such. we investigated with NCPD what tools are the most effective and how we can be of the most assistance to them, so that when crime occurs, they have the highest possibility to solve and apprehend the criminals.”
Former Woodsburgh resident Ann Shockett, who lives near the village border, in Woodmere, said that the combined forces of Nassau’s police and what Woodsburgh officials are doing give her a sense of security. “The Fourth Precinct does an excellent job of providing services,” she said, “and the village efforts make people feel at ease, and I can understand that, as I live across the street from the Woodsburgh line.”
Mark Weiss, the mayor of Hewlett Harbor, said that the private security patrol his village has employed for the past six years has helped make residents feel safe. Comprising three retired Nassau County police officers, the unit patrols Hewlett Harbor at various times during the day and night. It costs the village $100,000 annually, but it is valued by community members, Weiss said.
“We were the first village in the Five Towns to employ private security on a regular basis It has been extremely successful,” he said. “It started six years ago, when burglaries were a regular situation in the village and the Five Towns. Our residents have expressed appreciation and gain a tremendous amount of comfort from having the patrols.”
At the end of September, Hewlett Bay Park also began employing a private security firm to patrol 20 hours a week at specific times of the day, said Mayor Steve Kaufman. “This is a very important issue — crime is low, and we want to keep it that way,” he said. “One crime, one burglary is one too many. We looked into what is on people’s minds, and people want to feel safe.”

Have an opinion about these villages approach to security? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.