By Anthony Rifilato
If people in Baldwin had any issues to voice or problems to address, last week was certainly the time for them to do so. With two community forums and a school board meeting back to back, town, county and police officials spoke to Baldwin residents in the hopes of allaying concerns about crime and other issues.
With crime and school safety in mind, Legis. Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin) held a community meeting to address some of the major issues brewing in Baldwin.
With more than 60 people in attendance and a slew of questions to answer, the meeting at the middle school was an opportunity for residents to inquire about a wide range of county and local issues such as gang activity, crime and quality-of-life concerns. Scannell's forum was one of two meetings in the past two weeks in response to a stabbing outside the high school on Nov. 20 and overall crime in the area. The other meeting was hosted by the Baldwin Community Association Dec. 4.
The second half of Scannell's meeting was devoted to county issues and constituent problems.
The legislator introduced several police officials, including Deputy Chief of Patrol Tony Rocco and First Precinct Deputy Commanding Officer Richard McCarrick, who provided an overview of the First Precinct's approach to crime.
Rocco and McCarrick discussed at length tactics that the precinct and county are employing to combat existing problems and stave off future dilemmas, such as gang activity.
"The solution to gangs is not locking people up," Rocco said. "It takes a broad-based approach."
Rocco mentioned initiatives such as the Task Force Against Gangs (TAG), a county-wide program to end gang violence as well as educate kids, and the new NASSTAT system, which provides precincts with weekly computerized crime statistics that pinpoint problem areas.
He also detailed a three-tiered approach that includes law enforcement, community and government involvement.
"There is a gang problem in Nassau County," Rocco said. Though he provided no statistics, he explained that gang incidents county-wide are down compared with last year, and that activity in Baldwin has "plateaued."
"The stabbing is the kind of thing we are trying to prevent," Rocco said. "One of the most important things is community involvement."
In a sign that gangs in Nassau County do not hold to past paradigms and stereotypes, Rocco said that local gangs differ from large gangs in California. Most, he said, are small groups that are territorial. Many seek a sense of identity, he said.
"The scary thing now is, we have individuals starting to act out and adopting tactics of the more vicious gangs," Rocco said. He implored parents to find out where kids are hanging out, and to call his office with information.
McCarrick took questions from the audience and expanded on the incident outside the high school. He said this was the first major incident at the school this year, and explained the victims' involvement in the attack, which was the result of an existing feud between members of the Latin Kings and a rival gang and not a random attack.
McCarrick said a Baldwin High School student who was a member of the Latin Kings returned to the Shopping Center after school Nov. 20 with his friends to settle an argument with someone, but encountered the victims, who McCarrick said were friends of the person they had a beef with. The 24-year-old victim in the attack was a cousin of one of the Baldwin High victims and worked at Pathmark across the street, on Grand Avenue. The man happened to be at the shopping center and rushed to his cousin's aid, said McCarrick, who noted that the victim was not a gang member.
One audience member asked McCarrick how many officers were patrolling Baldwin. He explained that there are five cars assigned to the community at all times. The First Precinct has a total of 22 cars patrolling some or all of the seven towns it covers.
In one particularly heated moment, a parent aired her alarm about "the pit" near the shopping center, and said that enforcement should be stepped up. She said she was concerned about drive-by shootings. "We want the pit patrolled," she said loudly.
McCarrick emphasized that there is a strong police presence there, though he said there may not be a car present at times because of emergency calls that police have to respond to. He also said the First Precinct is trying to work with the shopping center's landlord to make the pit less of a problem.
Another parent asked if gangs had a presence in the middle school. McCarrick said the school has had no problems, but is not immune.
He also sought to ease fears about recent crimes in the area. He noted that since Oct. 24, seven arrests for burglary have been made.
Others in the audience inquired about past incidents. One man asked about an incident earlier in the year that occurred on Park Avenue, in which a 14-year-old boy was held up at gunpoint, forced inside a home, tied up and robbed. McCarrick said there was some relationship between the victim and people involved, who may have known that the boy's parents were away.
County issues
While police department officials were prodded about crime and enforcement, Scannell fielded a range of questions about county issues such as tax reassessment, the STAR program, which gives tax breaks to senior citizens, and redistricting.
One resident, George Thorsen, took Scannell to task for recent county cuts to the police department, and referred to the Nightwatch program, in which the police department and probation department work together to follow up on those on probation, sometimes recovering guns and making arrests. Thorsen said that under County Executive Thomas Suozzi's watch, the program had been subject to massive cuts.
Scannell cited county budget problems, though he said he would continue to look for grants and funding for the department. "The bottom line is, we're in the worst financial crisis ever in Nassau County," Scannell said. After the meeting, he said that Nightwatch was in the process of being reinstituted.
Scannell also addressed the fate of the First Precinct, after a woman asked if Suozzi was attempting to close it. Scannell said there were no plans to close it at present. "He's looking at the whole precinct concept," Scannell said of Suozzi.
"As of now everything has been put on hold," he explained after the meeting, adding that the county has hired an independent real estate company to report on all Nassau properties. The report, due in January, will make recommendations as to whether Nassau's 2,000 properties, which include the First Precinct, would be sold or consolidated. Scannel explained that he would still like the proposed project, which would move the First Precinct to west Grand Avenue and Merrick Road, to happen.
"Ultimately, it's Suozzi's decision," he said.
Others asked about redistricting and the push for a unified legislative district in Baldwin. "That's my goal," Scannell said optimistically. He said that people could help by writing letters to Barbara Patton, the chairperson of the redistricting committee.
One woman inquired about Suozzi's economic empowerment zones and how Baldwin would be affected. Scannell said that is a "long road ahead" but that Baldwin has changed for the better in the past three years. He cited a number of positive county projects, including $200,000 in county funding for the beautification of downtown Baldwin. He said it has yet to be determined where the money will be allocated, though the process will begin within the next two months. Earlier, Scannell said he was very pleased with the $4.4 million allocated to refurbish Baldwin ponds.
"I'm very excited about Baldwin," Scannell said. "I've seen a marked improvement. It's not quick, but it will happen."
