By LARRY MAIER
Nassau County police report that sometime between Friday evening, Dec. 28 and the next morning, a person or persons broke into the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church's parish center and elementary school on Merrick Avenue in North Merrick. That same Friday evening, the United Methodist Church, also on Merrick Avenue in North Merrick, was broken into.
Det. John Ceprini of the Nassau County Crimes Against Property Squad said the same person or persons might be responsible for both crimes. In fact, police believe that an individual or group of individuals might have committed two dozen or more church robberies on Long Island since last summer, including one in Bellmore at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Regional School on Oct. 4., which resulted in more than $2,500 worth of damage.
According to the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, 42 Catholic churches or schools have been burglarized since mid-June, 2001. The majority of the break-ins, 36 of them, have taken place over the last three months. While Catholic churches have been hit hardest, say police, buildings belonging to other denominations have also been frequent break-in targets in recent months.
Ceprini said that 25-30 of the church break-ins and robberies that have occurred since July, including the two recent North Merrick incidents, fit a definite pattern. "They look like they could have been done by the same person or persons," Ceprini said.
In most of the robberies, petty cash totaling anywhere from $100 to $1,000 was taken. Thieves have also made off with supermarket vouchers intended for parishioners in need, Ceprini said. The majority of expense to the churches and schools, however, has been from property damages.
"In many cases, poor boxes are not even a target," said Ceprini. "The primary problem is the damage once they get inside that's done while they're looking for cash."
Pastor Jin Choi of the United Methodist Church said he discovered the break-in around 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 when he went to his office to pick up papers.
Choi said the thieves only got away with coins from a vending machine, but caused between $3,000 and $3,500 in damage to doors, locks and windows. "They just made a mess, ransacked the whole area," Choi said.
Rev. Thomas Gallagher of Sacred Heart Church said another priest discovered the break-in at the parish center at about 8:20 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29.
Police believe the same person or persons also broke into the parish elementary school because a bag of coins taken from the parish center was found in the school. Gallagher said that there was extensive property damage in the parish center and school, and petty cash was taken. Exact figures on cash losses and damage, however, were not yet available.
The problem of church break-ins has gotten so bad that Msgr. John Alesandro, the Diocese of Rockville Centre's vicar general, has asked all pastors, administrators, school principals and business managers to attend a special meeting Jan. 17 to discuss the crime wave and consider techniques to protect churches and school facilities. Ceprini will moderate the forum.
The Diocese has also started a matching-grants program to help defray the costs to local Catholic churches of upgrading their security systems.
Choi said the last time his church was broken into was about three years ago, when thieves got away with fax machines, telephones and radios.
The pastor said it is especially disheartening that someone would commit these crimes during such a holy season as Christmas. "It's really tough," said Choi. "But now we're going to do something about it." Choi said his church would soon install a motion-detection alarm system.
Gallagher said the last time his church experienced a break-in was about six years ago. This is the first time, however, that the parish center has been broken into. "The church is usually the place that gets broken into," Gallagher said.
So far, police have made no arrests in the church crime spree. "We are running down and investigating possible leads that we get and any type of physical evidence that we are able to obtain," said Ceprini. Unfortunately, added the detective, most churches have less-than-optimum security systems and tend to be attended to by trusting people.
The last time police saw such a pattern in church burglaries was in 1989, Ceprini said.
Police asking for help
Nassau County police are encouraging anyone with information about the recent break-ins at Sacred Heart Church or United Methodist Church to call their Crime Stoppers Hotline toll-free at 1-800-244-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous, and callers do not have to reveal their identities or testify in court. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for these crimes.
