by Jonann Brady
Patrick O'Connor, 52, was appointed to the top job at the First after the retirement of former Commander Richard Kennedy in July. Starting as a beat cop in Elmont, O'Connor moved up the ranks as a detective in the Homicide Squad and has been commanding officer of the Eighth Precinct, the Nassau County Major Offense Squad and the Nassau County Police Academy.
O'Connor, it seems, has police work in his genes. His father, uncles and siblings are all New York City cops, and he traces his family's police pedigree back to 1907.
With this lineage and experience behind him, O'Connor is ready to take on the challenge of the First, one of the busiest precincts in Nassau County.
"I like to identify problems and use targeted patrols to address them," said O'Connor.
To that end, O'Connor is relying heavily on an expanded Community Response Team, which includes the Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) unit, a Gang Abatement unit and a School Resource unit.
O'Connor plans to make fighting gangs a priority in the precinct, especially after the gang-related drive-by shooting death of a Roosevelt teen in October. Though he stressed that there is not a gang epidemic in Baldwin, it is a growing concern in every community that cannot be ignored.
"We're dedicating a lot of resources to make sure people are safe," he said.
Part of that includes increased patrols around Baldwin, Uniondale and Roosevelt high schools during school hours, where specially trained officers look for signs of gang recruitment. In Baldwin and Uniondale, O'Connor said, they are focused on prevention, while in Roosevelt, officers are concentrating on gang abatement.
Officers will look for tell-tale signs of gang activity, such as graffiti or kids wearing gang colors or using certain hand signs. Officers with the Gang Abatement unit also meet with school administrators and run workshops on preventing gang activity in schools and for community groups.
"Working with schools and the community is critical. It's a combined effort," he said.
Lt. Rick Capese, who recently returned to the First Precinct to head the Community Response Team, said the precinct's focus on community policing will be a positive step in addressing issues in various communities.
"Inspector O'Connor and I have many years of experience in community policing and have known each other a long time," said Capese. "We'll put all our energies into making the First as safe and crime-free as we can."
Targeting "quality of life" offenses such as loitering, drinking in public, moving violations and drug trafficking will also be a priority, said O'Connor.
"By tackling small problems, you take care of big problems," he said.
Another weapon in O'Connor's crime-fighting arsenal is the new NASSTAT system, which provides precincts with weekly computerized crime statistics. With the data, commanding officers can compare statistics on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis to identify problems and target them.
Commanding officers from each precinct also meet with the police commissioner every month to go over statistics and share feedback on what's working and what isn't in other communities.
NASSTAT allows precincts to target a community's needs and helps police to be more innovative, O'Connor explained. For example, O'Connor said that he recently identified a rash of burglaries on Grand Avenue, and when night patrols in the area were stepped up, the burglaries stopped.
Despite the public acrimony between the police union and county Executive Tom Suozzi over police salaries, cutbacks and possible consolidation of precincts, O'Connor says the First is well-equipped to do its job.
"Right now we're staffed and able to do specialized patrols...We have been given the resources to do the job," he said, adding that the officers of the First make his job easier as well.
"Morale in this precinct is extremely high...I can't say enough about the police officers in this precinct," O'Connor said. "They're dedicated, busy, motivated."
Above all, O'Connor said, he wants to be responsive to community needs.
"I want the community to feel safe, and I want the students to feel safe," he said. "And I want to stop the spread of violence and gangs."
The First Precinct has put together a guide for parents, guardians and educators to help them identify possible gang activity and prevent it. The following tips come from the new guide. If you have any information or questions regarding gang activity, call the First Precinct Special Patrols Office at 573-6150.
Gangs, a definition:
A gang is any group of three or more people bound together for the purpose of committing anti-social or criminal acts, according to the police department. Not all youths who are members of a group should be classified as gang members; only those who have formed an alliance with criminal motivations.
Reasons for Joining a Gang:
*Sense of family
*Identity, acceptance, respect
*Status, protection
*Financial Gain
Indicators of a gang presence:
(The list below is not all-inclusive, and it should be understood that several indicators should be present before any assumptions are made about gang activity or affiliation.)
Graffiti. It marks a gang's turf, informing other gangs of its presence. All graffiti should be reported to the police.
Colors. All gangs have designated colors, which may be displayed in a number of ways, including beads, bandannas, clothing, hats, shoelaces, key chains, backpacks and national flags. Some of the major gang colors are black and gold; red, white and blue (the design of the Puerto Rican flag); blue and white (the Salvadoran flag); blue, white, yellow and black; red, and blue.
Hand signs. A means of greeting, identifying and communication with other gang members.
Tattoos. Gang members often tattoo their head, hands, arms, chest and back with gang markings.
Admissions of association. Gang members are proud and often will readily admit their gang affiliation.
Hangouts. Gang members often meet in public places such as parks, schoolyards and the like.
Early indicators of possible gang involvement:
*Change of friends.
*Decline in grades or truancy.
*Keeping late hours.
*Possession of large sums of money or expensive items that cannot be explained.
*Drug use.
More serious sign of gang membership:
*Gang graffiti displayed on books, posters and bedroom walls.
*Wearing gang clothing or colors.
*Using hand signals.
*Photographs of gang names, slogans, insignia or gang activities.
*Gang tattoos or body markings.
*Reports of gang activity from credible sources.
*Admission of gang membership.
How to discourage kids from joining a gang:
*Identity. Give kids a sense of who they are in your family, what values the family represents, and a sense of importance and self-esteem.
*Give kids protection and a sense of belonging.
*Set limits.
*Set good examples with your own behavior.
*Spend time with and really listen to your children.
*Monitor what they see and hear.
*Supervise your children's activities.
*Be active in school-, community- and faith-based groups.
*Foster an anti-gang mentality at an early age.
*Be an informed parent.
