By Jeff Lipton
The new commanding officer of the Fourth is Deputy Inspector Richard McCarrick, who served as deputy commanding officer of the First Precinct in Baldwin.
"I'm very happy to be back," said McCarrick, who rejoins the Fourth after five years. "[The Fourth] is a great precinct that covers great communities," he said. McCarrick held the position of Deputy Commanding Officer for a little over a year before transferring to the First.
One of the new commanding officer's priorities is meeting with community leaders. "Some I know and some I need to get reacquainted with."
McGuire said that he has greatly enjoyed working in the Fourth and is most proud of the considerable reduction in major crime over his almost three years as commanding officer of the precinct. "I think that due to the hard work and perseverance of the members of the Fourth Precinct, in spite of the cutbacks and budgetary concerns, we have seen major crime reductions in all categories," McGuire said.
He added that the Fourth Precinct had registered a decrease in major crime of nearly 25 percent since he took over as commander. Major crime includes murder, rape, robbery, commercial and residential burglary, felonious assault and auto theft. The Fourth Precinct takes in the Five Towns, Atlantic Beach, East Rockaway, Oceanside, Island Park, Lido Beach and Point Lookout.
In addition to the significant reduction in crime, McGuire said that his biggest accomplishment has been the crackdown on aggressive driving, with a 100 percent increase in the number of vehicle and traffic law summonses issued over the past two years. He said the aggressive enforcement, including the crackdown on cell-phone abuse by drivers, has led to a reduction in the number of traffic accidents.
Asked specificically about his accomplishment in Oceanside and Island Park, McGuire focused on police work in the village, specifically the nightclub detail there on weekend.
"This are has been a major concern of residents," McGuire said. "We got that under contorl and we've set a tone through strict enforcement and zero tolerance that any misconduct or disorder will not be tolerated. We had a lot of thank yous from the residents down there."
McGuire also noted his work with the Island Park Village in matters in pertaining to youth.
"With the Village of Island Park's help, we were also able to curtain the problem with unruly youths that the village was having a problem with," McGuire said.
He praised the Fourth Precinct officers as a "hard-working bunch" of men and women. "I was very proud that I was able to be in command of such a competent group of individuals in the Fourth Precinct," McGuire said.
McGuire praised the Fourth Precinct officers as a "hard-working bunch" of men and women. "I was very proud that I was able to be in command of such a competent group of individuals in the Fourth Precinct," he said.
McGuire added that he was also proud of his outreach to the community. "There's been some outstanding community relations I've been able to experience with various community groups, who have been very supportive of the police," he said. "I felt that I've really been a part of a team, which has helped me achieve these accomplishments. Policing is a team concept, a partnership between the public and the police."
Of the Fourth Precinct, McGuire said, "I'm going to miss it. It's one of the more enjoyable commands I've worked in during my 28 years [in the Nassau County Police Department].
"Now I have some new challenges ahead of me."
McGuire explained that he was assigned to the Sixth Precinct to handle specific concerns dealing with community relations. "There are just some issues they want me to handle to make it a better command [at the Sixth]," he said.
Simon Felder, deputy mayor and police commissioner of the Village of Lawrence, said he would miss McGuire. "He did a great job in how he dealt with the people in the community and followed through on our concerns," said Felder. "He's leaving the precinct in a relatively better and safer situation. I hate to see him go."
Felder expressed hope that McCarrick can pick up where McGuire left off. "I look forward to meeting [McCarrick]," he said.
Deputy Inspector Richard Strothman, former second in command at the Fourth Precinct, has taken over McCarrick's position at the First. After only six months at the Fourth, Strothman said he was "looking forward to the challenge of his new command" in what he called a "busy precinct."
"There are a lot of good police [in the Fourth Precinct]," said Strothman.
Before working at the Fourth, Strothman was a captain in the Third Precinct, which covers areas in the middle of the county. Prior to that, he patrolled in helicopters and boats for the Marine Aviation Department.
One of the last projects Strothman was responsible for at the Fourth was Operation Safe Stop. "Too many people were illegally passing stopped school buses and creating dangerous situations on Lido Boulevard [in Lido Beach]," he explained. Operation Safe Stop met its objectives of educating the public on school safety concerns and reducing accidents.
Strothman takes on his new position at the First Precinct as he celebrates his 31st anniversary with the Nassau County Police Department.
Replacing Strothman as deputy inspector at the Fourth is Mary Blanthorn, who has worked in the county police department's management analysis and planning unit for the last six years. "I'm looking forward to it," she said. "Everybody tells me it's a very nice place to work. I hear that the residents are very cooperative and pro-police, and there's a very positive atmosphere over here."
Esther McKenna and Joseph Kellard contributed to this story. Comments about it? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
