Sworn in for service VS Civilian Patrol members inducted for 2002

      For more than 20 years the civilian patrol has acted as a supplement to the Fifth Precinct and auxiliary police department in fighting and deterring crime in Valley Stream.
      Mayor Edward Cahill presided over the civilian patrol's annual ceremony on Jan. 31 at which the civilian patrol's goals for 2002 were expressed.
      The patrol's goals, according to Joe Locoteta, president of the civilian patrol, include keeping a watchful eye over Valley Stream's schools to ensure that the community's children are not influenced by drugs or violence; work closely with police to identify areas of the community which may be prime targets for burglaries; make sure cars riding through the community, including those on Merrick Road and Central Avenue, are traveling at the village speed limit of 30 mph or below; and work closely with law enforcement to ensure that the community is safe in these uncertain times as they had done during the Sept. 11 attack.
      The civilian patrol has more than 50 active members who have said they will use relationships with the local media, police and federal, state, town, school and village officials to meet their objectives.
      The patrol's ultimate goal is for Valley Stream to be a "loving neighborhood where people talk to each other....[and] children [are] safely playing in [Valley Stream's] many recreation areas," said Locoteta.