By Anthony Rifilato
- including Unit 116, which serves Franklin Square and Garden City South - following the death of two New York City auxiliary cops who were shot by a gunman in Greenwich Village last month.
Legislators Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) and Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs said that they are looking to provide vests to the county's 400-member-plus auxiliary force, saying that they require additional protection following the shooting deaths of the two Manhattan officers, one of whom was a Valley Stream resident.
"This is on the minds of many volunteers and their families," Toback said. "That was sort of a wake up call to say, 'Hey, wait a minute, perhaps the job has become a little more dangerous.'"
Toback and Jacobs said they will ask that funding for the vests be included in the county's capital budget, and initial cost estimates range between $300,000 and $500,000 to provide the vests to all of the county's auxiliary officers.
"First we have to find the money, which we think we'll be able to do," Toback said. "The time is right to do this. It troubles me that we put these volunteers in uniforms without any kind of protection."
The proposal comes on the heels of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiative to supply bulletproof vests to the city's auxiliary officers, following the death of 28-year-old Nicholas Pekearo and 19-year-old Eugene Marshalik, of Valley Stream. The two Manhattan auxiliary cops were gunned down in Greenwich Village by a gunman fleeing the scene of a murder he had committed at DeMarco's restaurant on Houston Street, police said.
"We've definitely been discussing this," Jacobs said, adding that she is hoping the proposal for the bulletproof vests goes before the full legislature in the next few months. "It may not be able to be ready for 2007, but it would certainly be great. We'd rather do it sooner than later."
Toback said that there are about 450 auxiliary police officers based in communities throughout Nassau County. It's a somewhat misunderstood job, he said, with many unable to differentiate between where a volunteer's duties end and a police officer's begin.
"They're the immediate eyes and ears of the police department," said Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Department. "They are dedicated volunteers who come to the aid of police officers."
Auxiliary police officers are made up of residents from throughout Nassau - ranging from doctors to aspiring police officers - and perform a range of duties that often assist the police force. They are uniformed and patrol in marked vehicles, often directing traffic at parades and special events, and assisting during emergencies. They receive training in New York State penal law, baton training, basic first aid and CPR, as well as hazardous materials awareness and traffic and pedestrian control, among others. They do not pursue suspects or carry firearms, and they are instructed to call 911 if they witness a crime or suspicious activity. Police officials and lawmakers said that their uniformed presence has proved to reduce and prevent crime in their respective communities.
"We do everything we can to make sure they reasonably take care of themselves," said Smith.
Not long ago, the patch on Nassau's auxiliary uniforms were changed, which are similar to those of standard police uniforms, Toback and others said, making the need for bulletproof vests to ensure the safety of auxiliary officers more immediate.
"If you looked closely, there's no way to know if they were auxiliary police or regular police," Jacobs said. "They're not given power to take any action, but if they see something, they're the first ones to call police and to help know what occurred. They really have an important position when it comes to protecting the health and welfare of residents."
"Following the incident that took place, the auxiliary police and the police department are wondering whether this is something they should probably implement," said Smith.
Toback has already begun providing vests to auxiliary police in the 4th Precinct after he secured a community development grant. Toback supplied 15 vests to those auxiliary police, a $15,000 initiative which he said took 15 months to implement, since each vest has to be custom-fitted for individual officers at a cost of $1,000 a piece.
The vests are the same as those given to sworn officers and Toback said he expects full support in the legislature for the measure. To supply all of the county's auxiliary cops, he said he and others are looking into cost-saving measures such as purchasing the vests in bulk. The initiative is also subject to a bidding process and requests for proposals would have to be issued, which Toback and Jacobs said could take some time.
"All of the members on my side support it, and I'm sure my Republican colleagues will support it as well," Toback said.
As an auxiliary police officer for 32 years, Baldwin resident Kevin Kamen, the inspector for the Baldwin Auxiliary unit, agreed that the vests are needed now more than ever. He said volunteers patrol several nights a month and on weekends for special events, and recalled the first time he was injured when he was on patrol.
"I was hurt in 1991," said Kamen. "I was on North Grand Avenue breaking up a fight. I cracked my shoulder open. Having a vest would help immensely and make our wives feel a lot better."
Comments about this story? Baldwineditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
