By:Scott Brinton
A vandal had driven a vehicle of some sort in circles over their grass. "Our lawn looked like it was the testing ground for the Indy 500," said Casey.
Police investigated the case, but so far, no one has been arrested. Casey and Odenwald said the vandal had to have staked out their block, waiting for the precise time when several neighbors were out at holiday parties or the mall to wreak havoc on their front yard.
The couple can't be certain, but they have a good idea why their home was targeted for the vandalism. Last fall, they began to speak out publicly about the drug dealing, drag racing and sexual activity they say they regularly see at the Town of Hempstead fishing dock at the southern end of Merrick Avenue, near their home.
Several neighbors supported the couple's charges last October and November. A growing chorus of residents began calling on the town to put a stop to the myriad illegal activities they say they've witnessed over the years.
Odenwald and Casey say they have become increasingly concerned since their home was vandalized. They noted that a stolen car from the Bronx was set on fire at the town dock the day after they first went public with their concerns in the Herald last October.
The couple and other residents want a gate to block off the dock to traffic at night, preventing people from parking there after 8 p.m. The town doesn't allow people to park at the dock during the night, but they do anyway. Residents believe the gate would halt much of the crime there. They note that the sex and drug dealing primarily go on inside parked cars. Eliminate the ability to park at the dock, eliminate the cars, eliminate the crime, they reason.
So far, the town hasn't agreed to erect the gate, which would remain locked during the day and would be opened in the morning. Tom McKevitt, Hempstead's deputy attorney, said the town must conduct a traffic study before installing the gate. Bad weather has hindered the study, according to McKevitt. "Unfortunately, the snow has made the traffic study a little slower than we would like," he said.
Becoming increasingly frustrated with the what they say is the town's slow response to problems at the dock, about a dozen residents living on or near Merrick Avenue spoke out during last Tuesday's Hempstead Town Council meeting. Among the residents were Odenwald and Casey, who had convened a meeting at their home over the issue last fall. Attending that session were McKevitt and town Councilwoman Angelina Cullin (R-Freeport), who agreed at the time to look into putting up a gate.
Odenwald and Casey said they left last week's town meeting "pretty incensed." Both said Hempstead officials, including Supervisor Kate Murray (R-Levittown), gave little information about the possible gate. At the same time, the couple said, town officials repeatedly labeled the problem of crime at the dock "an enforcement issue." That is, the town contends that the Nassau County Police Department has to crack down on illegal activities there.
Mike Deery, a town spokesman, said in a telephone interview that Hempstead officials "pointed out" to the residents "that the local [police] precinct is responsible for enforcement."
Last August, Murray wrote to Casey and Odenwald, saying the town had contacted Nassau police, calling for stricter enforcement at the dock. The supervisor wrote, "While the Town of Hempstead has no jurisdiction over the police department, Councilwoman Cullin and I will continue to prevail upon the 7th Precinct to keep a close eye" out.
Casey and Odenwald, however, say police do their job and arrive quickly at the bulkhead when called upon by residents. Last week, they said, police detained a group of teenagers who were hanging out in 10-degree weather after dark at the dock. Police held the teens there for four hours, the couple said.
Police officials say they're taking all possible measures to round up offenders at the dock. In a Feb. 11 letter to McKevitt, Allen McGovern, a Nassau County Police Department deputy inspector, wrote, "You should be aware that we have been closely monitoring this location since the spring of 2003. We have adopted a policy of zero tolerance to any violations that are observed.
"Since adopting this policy," McGovern continued, "we have issued several parking and moving violations, along with one appearance ticket at this location."
Casey and Odenwald would like the town to focus on preventing crime at the bulkhead, and they believe the gate would go a long way toward that aim.
Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg (D-Merrick) has followed the case closely since last June, when Odenwald attended one of his town-hall meetings at Kennedy High School and alerted him to problems at the bulkhead. Denenberg, who attended the town council meeting with residents last week, said, "If no one can lawfully park [at the dock] at night, why not put up the gate?"
He continued, "It's a common-sense approach that continues to allow access during legal hours and prevents access during unlawful times when one can't be legally parked there."
Denenberg said he was told by town officials that the gate might prevent police and firefighters from getting to the dock during an emergency. Denenberg, however, said authorities would be given keys to the gate. Or, he noted, they could break its chain with a bolt-cutter.
Town officials say they haven't ruled out a gate at the dock, and they note that they have increased lighting and signage there in recent months.
