Shoring up safety at the county parks

People who frequent Grant, Inwood and North Woodmere parks in the Five Towns said that they still feel safe using the Nassau County-operated facilities after the fatal drug-related shooting at Haypath Park in Old Bethpage on July 6. 

County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder addressed park safety at a community hearing in Plainview on July 16. Ryder outlined the county’s plans to conduct a safety assessment of every county park, and the evaluations are ongoing. “What we’re doing with these assessments is rating parks on a scale of one to five with one being the best and five being the worst,” Ryder said. “For the parks that are at or near five, we will take a look at adding more lighting, cameras and enforcement at these locations.” 

According to police, Brandon Torres, 22, along with Stefon Pierre, 22, and three others conspired to rob alleged marijuana dealer, Dimitri Filacouris of a pound of pot on July 6. In what police called a botched robbery, Torres allegedly shot Pierre, who died at Plainview Hospital hours later on July 7.

Ryder said that the police department already has identified nights in which increased enforcement is needed. “Every Friday night from March until the end of the summer, we know that’s a time for kids to go to the park to drink and smoke,” he said. “So those nights we’ll have increases in enforcement in areas such as the Massapequa Preserve to deter drinking and drug deals from occurring in the parks.”

Inwood resident Sarah Lefkowitz said that she comes to Inwood Park, located at the end of Bayview Avenue, during the day and has no safety concerns. “When I come here with my children during the day, I always feel safe,” Lefkowitz, a real estate agent in Inwood said. “I personally don’t prefer to come here at night, but I have a friend who often comes with her husband at night and she has no safety concerns.” Her recommendation to increase security would be to put an on-site police patrol car, she said.

Far Rockaway resident M. Aronov goes to Inwood Park with his children during the day and noted that while he feels safe, one quick moment can change that. “This is a safe area, but it could become dangerous very quickly,” he said. “You could be one of only two people in a park like this at any given time and you never know what that other person is capable of doing.”

George Pinola of East Rockaway frequents Grant Park in Hewlett and echoed Lefkowitz’s thought about on-site security. “The shooting in Old Bethpage was just horrible to read about,” he said. “There should be 24/7 security not only to prevent violence, but also to prevent vandalism.” 

Ryder noted that while not all violence can be stopped, he thinks these assessments will help further prevent them from happening. “It’s a perception of reality for people to want to feel safe in their local parks,” he said. “We can’t completely prevent park violence from happening but we can be better prepared for it.” 

The county’s director of communications, Christine Geed said the parks department always works with law enforcement in regards to people’s safety in parks. “Maintaining the safety of those who come to our parks has always been a paramount concern of ours,” she said. “We will continue to work with police to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our patrons.”

Frank Gargano contributed to this story.