Hempstead Tpk. 1/1 Cash
Seventh St. 1/6 Unknown
Merrick Ave. 1/8 Jewelry, cash
Barbara Ct. 1/7 or 1/8 Computer
Andrew Ave. 1/8 Computer eqpt.
Franklin Ave. Between 1/31 & 2/2 Jewelry
Starke Ave. 2/8 Nothing stolen
Andrew Ave. 2/10 Unknown
Kensington Rd. 2/13 Tools
Wagstaff Dr. 2/13 Jewelry
Merrick Ave. 2/22 ` Cash
Source: 1st Precinct police reports
Set in shaded box:
H: Join the crime watch
The Council for East Meadow Community Organizations is looking for residents willing to take part in its crime watch program.
Volunteers will patrol in their own cars and keep an eye out for suspicious activity, crimes in progress or any potentially dangerous situation at least once a week for two hours.
All volunteers will receive a magnetic sign to stick on their vehicle and cell phones programmed to dial 911. At no time during a watch will anyone have to interfere in police business, said Nassau County Legislator Norma Gonsalves, who spearheaded the program about 15 years ago and still serves as the director.
The point is to report criminal activity and provide a visible deterrent to criminals. Volunteers will be required to write down pertinent information in a patrol log that is returned to Gonsalves at the end of each shift.
Anyone interested in joining the crime watch should call Gonsalves at (516) 481-0824.
H: E. Meadow burglaries up
By Nick Buglione
Mike Rizzotti moved into his Taylor Avenue home 14 years ago because he thought it would be a nice, quiet place to raise his family.
A significant spike in East Meadow house burglaries since the beginning of the year, however, has Rizzotti worried about whether the neighborhood is as safe as he once thought.
"It's really concerning," said Rizzotti, who has learned of a number of recent burglaries, mostly through word of mouth. "I've even heard of a few push-ins, where they ring the bell and push the person in when they answer the door."
Rizzotti lives just blocks from Andrew and Kensington avenues, where three of 11 East Meadow burglaries between Jan. 1 and Feb. 23 have occurred, according to police reports and statistics from the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations (CEMCO).
That's a huge increase when compared with the one break-in that happened during the same period last year, a fact that has police and community leaders concerned. Meanwhile, the upswing appears to have carried over into this month, as residences on Fifth Street and Cedar Lane were hit March 3 and 4.
"We are aware of it, and we are flooding the area with our special [unmarked] patrol cars," said 1st Precinct Sgt. Michael O'Mara, supervisor of the precinct's special patrols. "Obviously we've made every sector cop aware of it."
Police are also hitting pawn shops in an attempt to recover stolen merchandise and gather suspect IDs.
There is no specific pattern to the recent East Meadow burglaries, which, with the exception of the three in the area of Andrew and Kensington, have taken place throughout the neighborhood, O'Mara said.
"Burglaries were happening in Bellmore for a while, and now we're seeing a spike in East Meadow," the sergeant said.
He went on to note that they seem to take place late at night or in the late morning to early evening, with the suspect or suspects usually entering through a rear door or window. "Eighty percent of all burglaries happen by rear entry," he said. "Rear doors and bathroom windows are popular."
It's rare that a home gets cleaned out when it's burglarized, O'Mara said. Perpetrators typically are looking for something small and valuable, such as cash or jewelry, that they can grab and make a quick exit.
"We're not getting a whole lot of large property stolen," O'Mara said. "It's usually concealable. They'll ransack bedrooms."
That's not to say some losses haven't been significant. In a Merrick Avenue burglary on Jan. 8, jewelry and $4,500 in cash were stolen, according to a police report. That same day, over $150,000 in computer equipment was taken from an Andrew Avenue home, the report said.
"Sometimes you'll go quite a few weeks with nothing and then boom," said Louis Hollweg, a longtime East Meadow resident and volunteer with the CEMCO crime watch. "Whether it's just some kids or some real bad guys, you don't know."
Hollweg patrols East Meadow streets about twice a week in a marked car looking for any suspicious activity and serving as a visible deterrent to crime. No longer as effective as it used to be, the crime watch's volunteer membership has dwindled in recent years, Hollweg said.
There are a few things police say residents can do to protect themselves against burglaries. Doors and windows should be kept locked, and a few lights or a television should be left on when you're not home. "A TV is good because it leaves voices in the house," O'Mara said. "It bounces shadows off the walls, so it makes it look like someone's home."
Residents should also keep their bushes trimmed below all windows, so suspects can't conceal themselves as they try to break in, he said.
Nassau County Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow), who started the CEMCO crime watch about 18 years ago and has been working with police on the burglary issue, said residents need to look out for one another. "They need to be a little more in tune with what's going on around them," Gonsalves said. "Neighbors should be watching out for neighbors; there's no two ways about it."
As the weather warms up, criminal activity usually increases, Gonsalves said, so residents need to be especially vigilant in the coming weeks.
Since January's bitter cold did little to stem East Meadow burglaries, Gonsalves believes even more may be coming in the spring. If residents see anything suspicious, she urges them to call 911.
