Alleged Halloween search creates sparks in Rockville Centre

In a letter delivered to Mayor Francis Murray on Nov. 1, resident Siobhan Moran accused village Trustee Edward Oppenheimer of detaining and searching a group of 14-year-old trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

Oppenheimer denied the claims when they were brought up at the board of trustees meeting on Nov. 7, and he declined to comment further.

In the letter, Moran claimed that her daughter and a group of friends had stopped to talk at Wilson Elementary School when an Auxiliary Police officer announced over its public address system that the school grounds were closed and the children would have to leave.

“As they were doing so, Mr. Oppenheimer ap-

proached them, stated that he wanted to ‘see their faces,’ and then proceeded to inspect their bags on the pretext that ‘they better not have shaving cream or anything else in there,’” Moran stated in her letter.

The letter went on to raise seven questions, including the capacity in which Oppenheimer was acting with the auxiliary police, whether there was probable cause to search the children, and if Oppenheimer’s alleged actions comport with village policy.

The issue was brought up at the board of trustees meeting by Moran’s husband, former village Trustee Andrew Karamouzis, who read the letter to the board and asked the Mayor to answer the questions it raised.

When Karamouzis completed reading the letter, Oppenheimer asked the Mayor to allow him to respond to the allegations.

“The allegations that I acted in police capacity are not true,” Oppenheimer said. “The allegations that I searched bags are absolutely not true. The allegations that I detained anybody were not true.” Oppenheimer did add that although he was at the scene, the decision to stop there was not his own. He ended his response by saying it would not be appropriate to say anything else.

Karamouzis expressed disapproval with Oppenheimer’s response and asked the board why the trustee had been in the police vehicle in the first place.

Trustee Michael Sepe replied that ride-a-longs are authorized and can sometimes give the trustee a better understanding of what is going on in the village. Karamouzis ended the public session by reiterating his displeasure with Oppenheimer and his presence among the auxiliary police.

“All I asked for was an apology, not on my behalf, but for the eight or nine children who were there who felt threatened,” Karamouzis said. “I would ask you, Mr. Mayor, to send me a formal response to the letter at your convenience, and I will decide if this matter needs to be taken further.”