Crime a prime topic at Envision meeting

Valley Stream residents want what’s best for their community; just ask the people who attended the Jan. 24 Envision Valley Stream meeting. Community residents, village officials and members of the Civilian Patrol were among the crowd at Sip This on Rockaway Avenue.

The group met to discuss some problems that are currently afflicting the area, the ways people can make the community a better place to live and the reasons why they’re proud to call Valley Stream their home.

One of the major topics of the discussion was crime. David Sabatino, president of Envision Valley Stream and co-owner of Sip This, chaired the meeting and gave a PowerPoint presentation on some of the talking points for the group to discuss.

“You talk to most people, especially people who have subsequently moved out of Valley Stream and they would tell you that, ‘Valley Stream is like a third-world country, it’s a war zone, there’s crime every day, this is ridiculous, you shouldn’t live there,’” Sabatino said. “And yet the numbers will show you otherwise.”

Sabatino pointed out that the number of burglaries at homes and businesses, stolen autos, robberies and criminal mischief have all decreased since 1988. The data was acquired by Sabatino from the 5th Precinct last year and runs from 1988 through 2008.

However, Sabatino did mention some acts of crime that are prevalent in the community including stolen rims and auto parts, and the robberies of deliverymen. Usually, deliverymen work alone and carry money on them, which could leave them as potential targets for criminals, Sabatino added.

He also mentioned the crossover crime from Queens into Nassau County, and specifically in Valley Stream. People who come from Queens and commit crimes in Valley Stream reflect poorly on the village’s crime statistics, Sabatino said.