By anthony rifilato
³Ideally, we would like to stay in the First Precinct while a new one is being built,² said Inspector Rick Capece at a Baldwin Republican Club meeting last week. ³We are getting a new station house. Where it¹s going to be, I don¹t know.²
The new precinct is the next capital project for the police department, Capece said, and explained that the current facility on Merrick Road should remain operational during construction. It would be a mistake, Capece said, for the precinct to operate out of temporary trailers.
³That would be a horror,² said Capece. ³We can¹t work out of trailers.²
Capece¹s announcement comes after Nassau County Legislators allocated $4 million last week for a new First Precinct in its 2007 capital budget. Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) said he doesn¹t think that the police would work out of trailers when the precinct is being built.
³They wouldn¹t be moving [into trailers],² said Scannell after the meeting. Scannell said that the deteriorating conditions of the First were a priority for many lawmakers in the county, and said that the county is eyeing two properties for a new building; the Huntington Learning Center and an antique store, both on Merrick Road.
The county would have to acquire the property either through a sale or condemnation, which it has the authority to do if the project is intended for governmental purposes, Scannell said. Scannell also explained that the precinct will remain in Baldwin, and that the current location will be used for parking to accommodate the new facility.
³We¹re hoping that this time next year, the shovels will be in the ground,² said Scannell. ³Once that¹s done, they [police] would move next door to the brand new building.²
Capece and others noted the importance of keeping the First in town.
³No one wants to see the First Precinct leave Baldwin,² said Baldwin Republican Club Executive Director Doug Diana.
Updating residents
While Capece may be the new Inspector of the First, it is a precinct that he is very familiar with. If anyone knows the First, it is Capece, who served as a Lieutenant here from 1996 to 2003, when he left the precinct to work in the narcotics division. He took over this year, and has been making the rounds, speaking to residents at various functions.
On April 6, Capece told over 50 residents a little about the First Precinct and the areas that it covers, including Baldwin. He spoke about the different patrols and units that the First utilizes; including the problem oriented police unit (POP) and the gang intelligence unit, among others.
Capece explained that robberies are up in the First Precinct, but that police are being tenacious in addressing the issue.
Capece said that while there has been an increase in robberies, mostly among young people who are targeted for cell phones and iPods, there has been a drop in the number of burglaries within the precinct.
³I do see a decreasing trend,² said Capece, who explained that in 2005, there were just under 100 burglaries in Baldwin.
But there has been a spike in robberies, he said, and noted three robberies that occurred within one day recently, in which kids coming home from school have been robbed of their latest tech gadgets.
On April 4, police arrested a 17-year-old Baldwin man after he allegedly robbed another teen, taking his cell phone and iPod.
³We¹re trying to counteract that type of crime,² said Capece.
Last Saturday, there were two robberies in one day on April 8 [See story, page 4], a bank robbery and a robbery at a Burger King. Capece noted that police are aggressively trying to combat these types of crimes, but assured residents that they are not living in a vacuum.
³Trends that happen here also happen in Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, and other towns,² Capece said, adding that he was speaking not only as a police officer, but as a Nassau County resident as well. ³What happens here happens to me. We¹re going to actively do what we can to protect people.²
Capece also noted the recent string of bomb hoaxes at the high school that occurred in February, in which students and staff were evacuated on at least two occasions.
Capece said that the investigation is ongoing, although no suspects have been apprehended.
³There is a disgruntled student who is writing threats in the schools,² said Capece. He said that some details of the investigation have been kept from the public so as not to hinder the police work. The bomb threats are the only police investigation underway at the school, said Capece. He added that the search of the school by police was conducted
At the high school, Capece said there are two school resource officers on duty from Monday through Friday in an attempt to be proactive.
³They interact with the school,² said Capece. ³We¹re trying to prevent anything from occurring.²
That includes gang activity, which Capece said is not as rampant as people may believe. There is not a proliferation of gangs in Baldwin, Capece said. He explained that school resource officers could counteract gang members coming in from other towns, whether it¹s to pick fights or recruit kids.
³We¹re making it uncomfortable for gangs to be in Baldwin,² said Capece.
Capece also urged residents to use 911 for emergencies and not to call the First Precinct directly, saying that the precinct is overloaded with calls. The First Precinct responded to 69,000 calls into 911 last year. For quality of life issues, Capece told residents to contact the problem oriented police unit at 573-6150.
And now that it¹s prom season, Capece also said that he is working to stave off underage drinking on prom night. Capece said a mailing would be sent out in an attempt to educate parents and students, particularly those parents who make the bad decision to serve alcohol.
³If they¹re having a party and serving alcohol, I¹m going to lock up those parents,² said Capece. ³We¹re going to educate parents.²
