By Andrew Coen
County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, who attended a meeting at the home of Village Trustee Martin Oliner on Tuesday evening, May 24, to discuss the recent crime spree, has recommended the creation of a task force comprising leaders from the village of Lawrence and county and police officials.
More than 80 county, village and police officials, civic leaders and area residents attended the meeting. Suozzi urged village representatives to create a five-person task force that would meet with police and county government on a regular basis to brainstorm ideas to help prevent crimes such as the home invasion in Lawrence on May 4.
Oliner said in a phone interview after the meeting that he would head the "Lawrence Task Force," and hoped it would explore different "out of the box" ideas to prevent crimes. Some of the measures include installing new surveillance cameras at strategic locations, increasing police visibility and starting an advertising campaign on the proactive stance the village is taking to deter potential criminals. "We've got to come up with new creative ways to deal with [the recent crime wave]," said Oliner.
The task force will have five to seven members, including Suozzi, Deputy County Executive Timothy S. Driscoll, and village and police officials.
The meeting was called, in large part, in response to the May 4 incident, in which three robbers, armed with a handgun and wearing ski masks, broke into a Lawrence home through an unlocked sliding door. The robbers woke up their victims, tied them up in their bedroom and stole their money and jewelry, according to police at the Fourth Precinct. The incident was the fourth one in the Five Towns since December - with two taking place in North Woodmere and one in Cedarhurst. Police officials believe that all four may have been committed by the same robbers. Many parked cars have also been broken into during the last few months, according to police.
The meeting featured a lengthy discussion on some of the home invasions and what needs to be done to stem the crime wave. "I felt it was important that I come down here personally to let you know that we take this very seriously," said Suozzi. "We want to try and be as responsive as possible."
Many residents said a greater police presence is needed. "The best deterrent is to see these police cars moving around," said Lawrence resident Noah Fleschner. "We want the police cars back on the streets."
The Fourth Precinct's commanding officer, Inspector Richard McGuire, who attended the meeting, said that overall, crime is down in the precinct, but that the recent incident in Lawrence has prompted police to concentrate more on the area. "We're deploying more of our resources to the Lawrence area," said McGuire, explaining that the precinct has increased the number of checkpoints. "This incident on May 4 is certainly upsetting to everyone."
McGuire said that one checkpoint on Rockaway Turnpike allowed the police to arrest a suspect who tried to steal a safe from a home.
Police also said that there have been nine home invasions in Nassau County since Dec. 5 - four of them in the Five Towns.
Cedarhurst Deputy Mayor Benjamin Weinstock said that residents of the Five Towns do not feel as safe because of the recent robberies. "There is no statistic you can tell me that gives me any comfort from that reality," said Weinstock.
County Police Commissioner James Lawrence responded to residents' concerns at the meeting about a lack of police coverage, explaining that 300 new officers are being hired this year and saying that he would look into setting up some special patrols in the Lawrence area with the increased staffing. "Every man and woman [in the police department] is focused like they have never been focused before," Lawrence said.
Simon Felder, Lawrence's deputy mayor and police commissioner, and some residents said during the meeting that they would like to see stepped-up patrols on the Lawrence-Far Rockaway border, since, Felder said, some of the robbers are probably coming from Queens. "We have to work on that border, because that is where it's coming from," said Felder.
Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department Chief Edward Koehler, who is also a New York City police detective in the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway, said that when a home invasion occurs in the Five Towns area, the city police are notified and that the cooperation between the neighboring units is strong.
Lawrence Mayor Dr. Jack Levenbrown urged those who attended the meeting to sign up for the newly created village e-mail notification system, which will provide both crime-related information and tips on how to prevent crimes. "I think we have the perfect opportunity to sensitize people to simple precautions," said Levenbrown in a phone interview.
He added: "A couple of recent incidents have made people uncomfortable and apprehensive, that must be addressed, and will be addressed. I'm confident that the county executive and the police will respond in an appropriate way."
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
