Thursday, October 1, 2026
The number of crimes committed in Nassau County has dropped drastically during the past five years, largely due to data-driven policing that county Police Commissioner Thomas C. Krumpter said has made the county Police Department more effective and its residents safer.
The statistics were announced at a press conference on June 10 at the county police academy in Massapequa Park.
“What we are seeing is an unprecedented reduction of crime,” Krumpter said, citing statistics from the Uniform Crime Reporting Index, a national standard for measuring crime. “Over the past four years, crime is down 15 percent, and over 10 years, it is down 50 percent.”
In 2013, the number of crimes fell 4.5 percent, and major crimes were at their lowest level since the county started using the system in 1960, Krumpter said. This year the number of crimes continued to dive, with a reduction of 9 percent. These include major crimes, such as robberies, assaults and burglaries, as well as incidents of criminal mischief and larceny.
“The only thing that can be said about crime now in Nassau County is that the men and women [of the NCPD] are doing a great job,” Krumpter said.
“What we are seeing is the result of efficient use of resources driven by data,” added Police Chief Steven E. Skrynecki.
By monitoring statistics, Skrynecki explained, the department is able to deploy resources and manpower to areas where they are needed, both reactively and proactively.
Krumpter took the opportunity to respond to concerns from critics of the recent redeployment of 45 plainclothes investigators or Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) officers to sector cars. The redeployment, he said, is temporary, the county is hiring more police, and the change involves only 2 percent of the department’s total manpower.
“This is the same administration that has said it has a surplus in its budget, when in fact it has a deficit,” said Legislator Carrie Solages, a Democrat from Elmont, who attended the press conference. “So I think we have to question these numbers. While crimes may be low, I want to see the numbers that outline suspicious incidents and activities and field reports that really shows what is going on in each community.”
Inspector Ken Lack, commanding officer of the department’s public information office, said, “Critics fail to understand that 150 officers in the Bureau of Special Operations, [the] Criminal Intelligence Rapid Response Team and Special Investigative Services units with the Gang Task Force continue to operate within all precincts, performing plainclothes investigations.”
Krumpter acknowledged what he described as “small spikes” in the numbers in some areas, but added that those were caused primarily by individuals. In one instance, for example, one person committed 14 commercial burglaries. A suspect was arrested and charged in those incidents, Krumpter said, after police “were able to build a case.”
“These individuals can significantly throw the numbers off,” he said. “But the police officer riding in the car is the first line of defense, and for anyone to try and spread fear that crime in Nassau County [is increasing], that is inappropriate.”
