Residents air gripes about disruptive kids

In a high school auditorium, you usually find groups of bustling adolescents sitting in the rows, but on Monday, parents gathered in the Lynbrook High School auditorium to voice their frustrations about what they describe as illegal activity among local youth. Lynbrook and East Rockaway officials, along with members of the Nassau County Police Department’s 4th Precinct, were in the hot seat as many residents complained about disruptive youth who, they said, hang out, drink and cause mischief near Waverly Avenue.

Though East Rockaway Deputy Mayor Richard Meagher could not attend, he offered the crowd some encouraging advice in the letter, read by Trustee Irene Villacci. “We need to focus on the 3 E’s — enforcement, education and expansion of activities and programs for our youth,” Meagher wrote. Villacci, who led the meeting, pointed out that Meagher and other village officials want to find a solution to what they believe is a problem that has grown out of control.

Stepping up enforcement

“Two weeks ago, someone hit the window of my house with a rock,” said one woman who lives near Scranton Avenue. “I called Nassau County and there was no immediate response.”

Inspector Christopher Cleary, commanding officer of the 4th Precinct, who was on hand to respond to residents’ concerns, explained that police must prioritize calls, with those reporting emergencies like heart attacks or crimes in progress getting first priority. “Youth disturbances are lower on the list,” Cleary said, “but that does not mean we do not take it seriously. We try to respond as quickly as we can.”

Cleary recalled his own youth in East Rockaway, when kids posed no threat to homeowners. “I don’t once remember police showing up when I wandered the Waverly area,” he said. “When adults came, we ran off. But that is not the case now with kids being disrespectful.”

He urged parents to watch their children, and encouraged homeowners to use 911 as a resource. “There are two things in my toolbox,” he said. “One, as parents, I urge you to stop thinking your kids are innocent. And two, as homeowners, call 911.”