By:Jeff Lipton
The commanding officer of the Fourth Precinct, Deputy Inspector Richard McGuire, was promoted to inspector during formal ceremonies last week.
McGuire, who has been Fourth Precinct commander at the Hewlett station house for nine months, said he has been told he will stay put, and there are no plans to transfer him to another precinct. The Fourth Precinct takes in the Five Towns, Atlantic Beach, Oceanside, Island Park, East Rockaway, Lido Beach and Point Lookout.
The ceremony in which he was promoted took place at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury on Jan. 22. Also during the ceremonies, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and Police Commissioner James Lawrence swore in 48 new police officers, who are now assigned to the Nassau Police Academy for 25 weeks of training.
Although there were other promotions, including 37 police officers moving up to detective, McGuire was the only one to be promoted to inspector. It-s sure nice to advance your career, he said. Since I-ve been down here at the Fourth Precinct the last nine months, I-ve been trying to get the job done. It-s nice that the department recognizes it.
McGuire said it has been a pleasure to work in a community that has been extremely supportive of the police. In spite of the county cutbacks that have affected county services, he said, I feel I-ve been able to get the job done, primarily with the influence of the police officers on patrol, and with hard work we-ve been able to keep the crime rate down.
McGuire said he will continue to target quality-of-life offenses, cracking down on speeding cars, loud noise and traffic congestion offenses that are not criminal in nature, but annoying to residents, such as loud parties, speeding autos, traffic congestion and kids on school grounds after dark, he said.
In addition, police have been able to curtail many of the quality-of-life problems neighbors in Island Park were complaining about, mostly incidents at clubs during the summer. Some of the things that were going on were aggravating to neighbors, in particular, and we-ve been able to put a lid on that, McGuire said.
When he took over as commander last April from Inspector George Gudmundsen, who was transferred to the Eighth Precinct, the Fourth Precinct was having a problem with burglaries, both residential and commercial. Police have been able to make several arrests, which has helped to reduce the number of break-ins. In Lawrence, one suspect was targeting homes, but extra police patrols managed to scare the burglar away, McGuire said.
He said he is also seeking to curb cases of criminal mischief in the precinct. The incidence of criminal mischief, mostly done to autos, is on the rise, he explained.
The precinct has received reports of tires being slashed, incidents the Fourth Precinct command is trying to get a handle on. Much of the criminal mischief is alcohol-related, so McGuire said he is targeting alcohol offenses to put a stop to it. Police have stepped up enforcement at licensed premises bars as well as grocery and convenience stores to make sure alcohol is not being sold to minors.
We are also cracking down on this at house parties and keg parties and the public consumption of alcohol, McGuire said. Tires are being slashed. That is the predominant criminal mischief being done to autos, and we believe it is alcohol-related.
Cutting down on quality-of-life offenses will help curb other more serious crimes such as robbery and burglary. They are all inter-related. It-s the broken windows theory, McGuire said, explaining that areas that are run-down are more susceptible to criminals- taking over.
The Fourth Precinct commander said it has been difficult to implement new anti-crime programs because resources have been scarce and staffing levels are decreasing. Due to transfers and retirements, the manpower at the Fourth has dipped to 160 officers from well above 200.
I-m not sure where our staffing levels will be, McGuire said. I know what I would like to do if I get the staff to do it. I would like to increase our plainclothes patrols. But we are down significantly [in manpower].
The protection of life and property come first, he said.
