By:Jeff Lipton
A six-month deployment of anti-crime teams has spurred an almost 50 percent drop in felonies committed in the Five Towns, led by a significant decrease in robberies, commercial burglaries and car thefts, police said.
The total number of serious crimes has plunged from 77 for the first six months of 2000, to 41 for the same period this year, as the Five Towns is headed toward yearly record lows in crime.
Serious crime is considered to be murder, rape, robbery, residential burglary, commercial burglary, felonious assault and auto theft.
The number of robberies has dipped 43 percent, from seven to four, and the reports of commercial burglaries have fallen 73 percent, from 15 to four. Stolen autos also showed a significant drop, from 34 to 11, a 68 percent decline from January through June 2001, compared with the same period last year. Felonious assault took a dive from seven to four.
Crime did increase in the category of rape, which went up from zero to two, and residential burglary, which increased slightly from 14 to 16.
Five Towns crime has continued to tumble, continuing a trend that began in the mid 1990s, with felonies taking a major nose dive each year.
The decrease in total felonies this year could be directly linked to the creation of two teams consisting of two anti-crime officers who have been assigned to handle pattern crimes since the beginning of the year, said Lt. Larry Feffer of the Fourth Precinct.
We beefed up our anti-crime patrols,Feffer said. They have been working on pattern crimes and they have had a noticeable influence.
The anti-crime units, who often work undercover in plainclothes and in unmarked cars, were deployed by Insp. George Gudmundsen, Fourth Precinct commander, shortly after he took over command of the precinct from Insp. Frank Matzen, who retired at the end of last year. It has worked excellently,Feffer said. They are staffed by very aggressive police officers. They are continuing to perform in an exemplary manner.
Feffer said robbery, burglary and auto theft are pattern crimes, which are committed by a criminal more than one time. He said suspects have been locked up as a result of the diligence and perseverance of the anti-crime units and uniformed patrol officers over the past six months.
Robberies often are pattern crimes,Feffer said. Many people commit numerous robberies and we have arrested a number of these people involved in these types of crime. Usually if someone commits a robbery, it is not the only robbery they will have committed in their lifetime.
Fourth Precinct Police Officers Brian O'Connor and Raymond Navarra have been singled out recently by Gudmundsen for taking many criminals off the streets in the Five Towns. The inspector described the officers, both of whom are eight-year veterans, as extremely active cops who have made a number of arrests. They are two of the best the precinct has to offer,he said.
Of the four robberies reported for the first six months of this year, two suspects have been arrested and charged in those crimes, police said. Of the 41 reported crimes, police have made 10 arrests, including in both rape cases, according to statistics provided by the Fourth Precinct.
Feffer added that the community has been extremely helpful in trying to keep the community safe by forming and keeping strong Neighborhood Watch groups who report suspicious activities to police. The community and police partnership has been extremely successful in clamping down on crime in the Five Towns, Feffer said.
We encourage people to call us with suspicious activity. That's what we get paid for,Feffer said.
Community and business leaders in the Five Towns praised Gudmundsen for being extremely responsive to their needs and acting on their concerns.
The officers cooperate with us 100 percent,said Sy Glass, president of the Woodmere Merchants Association. All I have to do is tell them.
He complained about youths hanging out in the parking lots off of Broadway in Woodmere, a problem that police quickly responded to.
Village of Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler said, The new inspector has been very, very helpful. He's a very good communicator. He's anxious to please.
He said the village could use better traffic enforcement as motorists use Park Street like a speedway.He said the average speed is about 52 or 53 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone. These are narrow roads and they do 50 miles per hour or better during rush hour down Park Street,Mahler said. We need more radar enforcement on a more steadier basis.
But we've been very fortunate,he added. There has been a very low incidence of crime.
