By Brian Zanzonico
Since the end of June, teens have made the Washington Street School their own personal playground after dark, Superintendent Dr. Tom Dolan said. Dolan, who was alerted by neighbors to the teens' trespassing on school grounds, said that empty or broken bottles were evidence of their presence. On July 2, nine teens were arrested and charged with third-degree criminal trespassing. The school district, as is its policy, pressed charges.
Then, on Aug. 6, a Monday, Dolan, whose office is in the Washington Street School, pulled into the parking lot and found a cooking grill there. There had clearly been some illegal tailgating over the weekend. Instead of calling the police, however, Dolan went to the videotape.
Days earlier, Tom Goetz, the district's director of technology, had installed surveillance cameras at the Washington Street, John Street and Polk Street schools as part of the district's capital project plan. Dolan played back the video of the camera aimed at the Washington Street parking lot, and saw a group of teens cooking and partying. "I got a copy of the license plate, and [the owner] was identified as a community member," Dolan said.
The teen turned out to be a student from another local high school - Dolan would not be specific - who was identified with the help of the principal of that school. Since then there have been no reports of trespassing at the Washington Street School, Dolan said.
"The security cameras are already a benefit," he said. "We're not looking to get kids in trouble, but we've got to take care of our buildings and grounds."
Mary Montross, who lives near the school, said the trouble caused by trespassing teens is twofold. "All it takes is a couple of foolish kids leaving hot lava rocks behind to start a fire," she said. "Secondly, if they drink beer and leave the bottles broken on the ground, a child who doesn't see it the next day can ride their bike over the pieces and blow a tire or fall on the glass and get hurt."
Matthew Cinque, who moved into a house down the block from the school in 2005, said local teens suffer from the same thing he did growing up in Suffolk County - a lack of places to socialize in the area, which contributes to their getting into trouble. "Where do they have to go?" Cinque said. "If teenagers have nothing to do, they'll find trouble. How many times can you go to the movie theater on Hempstead Turnpike? How many times can you go for Italian ices? The summer is long and they run out of things to do. Perhaps their parents should keep better tabs on them."
Dolan said it is important that residents who live near the school know that efforts are being made to ensure that their high quality of life is maintained. He said that local police have kept a close eye on the school, but don't want after-hours activities there to keep them from patrolling other parts of the community. That is where the cameras come in handy, Dolan said.
"The police have been really helpful to us and, bottom line, we want to be good neighbors," he added.
Members of the 5th Precinct's Problem Oriented Policing Unit, the task force that has been working with Dolan, could not be reached for comment.
Comments about this story? FSeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
