By Angela Marshall
One area that did see an increase was robberies. There were 22 robberies reported in 2002, compared with 10 in 2001. However, police statistics show that robberies were at a seven-year low in 2001. There were 18 robberies in 2000, 16 in 1999 and 20 in 1998. "This increase in low-level street robberies is a direct reflection of our current economy," said Police Commissioner Jack McKeon in an overview of crime rates. "Truthfully, tough times are ahead for law enforcement. However, our absolute numbers remain extremely low, well below that which could be expected for an agency our size, and we remain in excellent shape."
Burglaries decreased 18 percent, from 83 in 2001 to 68 last year. McKeon said that during the 1970s the village was averaging 400 or more burglaries a year.
The number of stolen vehicles went down 9 percent from 2001 to 2002, from 55 to 50. However, theft of items from cars rose 35 percent last year, from 28 to 38. But prior to 2001, there were no fewer than 54 thefts from autos reported in any single year.
The number of calls increased slightly in 2002, to 746 from 710 in 2001. McKeon said these figures are impressive when compared with the number of youth calls the department received a few years ago. In 1998, there were 915. "These absolute numbers remain low and remain impressive based on our growing younger population trends throughout the village," McKeon said. "I believe that our present course appears to be correct -- to do our best from the education side, yet remain aggressive in terms of enforcement of illegal house parties, cigarette/alcohol stings, tavern inspections, participation in school programs and so forth."
There was little change in the number of arrests last year, up to 253 from 251 in 2001.
Overall, the department received 19,136 calls in 2002. McKeon said, "Of the 23 police departments providing policing in Nassau County, we are ranked number four in terms of activity."
