A two-way discussion of the issues

Homelessness and vandalism were two of the issues that were discussed at an inaugural police precinct-community council meeting last week in Baldwin, according to those who attended.

The meeting, between Daniel Flanagan, commander of the Nassau County Police Department’s 1st Precinct, and area community leaders, was “an opportunity for the community to have a voice, to bring their issues up,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan added that the meeting focused on “quality-of-life issues, such as vandalism. Also, crime that’s prevalent in every community.”

The precinct-community council was formed at the direction of Thomas Krumpter, the NCPD’s acting commissioner. Flanagan said that Krumpter directed the commanding officers of every precinct to invite community activists to join the similar panels.

The mission of the panels, Flanagan explained, is to foster and maintain open lines of communication between the community and the precinct, giving the community a voice in police activity and cultivating better relations.

The communities covered by the 1st Precinct include Baldwin, East Meadow, central and north Merrick, Roosevelt, South Hempstead, Uniondale and a slice of Wantagh.

Besides Flanagan and other Precinct officials, five community leaders attended the inaugural session, Flanagan said: Karen Montalbano, president of the Baldwin Civic Association; Alfredia Fairnot, president of the Baldwin Oaks Civic Association; Yvonne Amato, co-chair of the East Meadow Neighborhood Committee; Claudia Boreckey, president of the North and Central Merrick Civic Association; and a representative of Uniondale.

Flanagan said he expected that others would also join the panel, particularly from Roosevelt. “The commissioner has directed us to expand it,” he said.