For Glen Cove police, engagement goes ‘further than handcuffs’

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According to Deputy Police Chief Chris Ortiz, the bulk of police work is dealing with people. “Without a good relationship, we can’t effectively do our job,” Ortiz said, because if community members don’t know and trust the police, they don’t pick up the phone to report crimes or suspicious activity. “Without that,” he added, “a city our size could spin out of control.”

The importance of those community members to law enforcement is the crux of National Night Out. The event began 34 years ago as a way for neighborhood watch groups, police and fire departments to educate their communities about public safety, according to the National Association of Town Watch, which created the event.

In Glen Cove, National Night Out is put together on what Ortiz called a “shoestring budget.” But with the help of 59 sponsors who donate food, entertainment services and cash to the cause, the Police Department and other organizers stage what is part street fair and part educational social gathering.

For most of the event’s sponsors, this isn’t their first National Night Out. Mary Stanko, president of the Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce, said that most of the member businesses have been participating for 12 years — as long as the city has hosted the event. “They love it,” Stanko said. “That’s why they keep doing it. It really brings the community together.”

Although it was cut short by a fast-developing thunderstorm, Glen Cove’s Night Out was well attended, and the smiling faces in the crowd were evidence that it was well received.

Even without an event like this, the city’s police have an advantage over other municipalities’ law enforcement, Ortiz said. For one thing, most of the department’s officers are Glen Cove natives. And many of them are embedded in the community in other ways — coaching youth sports, taking part in Youth Bureau activities throughout the year, or participating in the 10-week-long PRIDE program, in which police officers visit schools and teach students about everything from stranger safety and drug-abuse prevention to bullying and self-esteem.

“I’ll know them from the time they’re 5 up until the time they’re 25,” Sgt. Ryan Nardone said. “It goes a long way. Sometimes you don’t have to put handcuffs on; you can just say, ‘I know whose son you are. I’m gonna tell your dad or mom.’” He added, “Sometimes that goes further than handcuffs.”

Engagement, however, isn’t a one-way street. The city’s Youth Bureau encourages its teen participants to volunteer as staff for National Night Out.

“Growing up, you want to be either a firefighter or a police officer or a superhero,” Spiro Tsirkas said, “so for these kids to have a good relationship with the police is a great thing.”

City spokeswoman Lisa Travatello said there is a “synergy” between the Police Department and the community, not only during National Night Out, but also year-round. “What I love is seeing the relationship between the police and the kids,” she said, “because these kids are going to be our future police officers.”