Town talks traffic, crime reduction

      Complaints about speeding and traffic dominated the meeting, which was hosted by Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino. The main area of the village targeted for discussion was the intersection of Sunrise Highway and Central Avenue. Many residents mentioned drivers making ill-advised left turns into the Long Island Rail Road station parking lot.
      An expanded left-turn lane with a left-turn arrow, capable of handling the volume of traffic into the parking lot, was suggested. A representative of the Town of Hempstead-s Traffic Control Division said the idea would be passed on to representatives at the state level, since the road is under New York state jurisdiction.
      The 30 residents who attended the meeting received some good news from Richard C. McCarrick, deputy inspector for the First Precinct. McCarrick said that crime in the area is down compared with 2003. Assaults are down 10 percent, while robberies have decreased 30 percent, McCarrick reported. The latter figure, however, is somewhat misleading because, while business burglary is down 50 percent compared with this time last year, residential burglary has increased 30 percent.
       McCarrick said that the First Precinct and all of Nassau County-s police departments are trying to do more with less. He encouraged citizens to contact police when they see something of concern. McCarrick suggested that the citizens of Baldwin become the eyes and ears of law enforcement.
      Those eyes and ears will have to be augmented in the future, Santino said, if Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi-s budget goes through as planned. Santino explained that the budget calls for 62 additional police officers in Nassau County, though 300 officers are eligible for retirement. That, Santino said, is a recipe for disaster. You-re going from a very bad situation to a much worse situation, he said. Santino encouraged Baldwin residents to write to Suozzi-s office and ask that more police to be put on the streets.

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