Nassau County police unveil refurbished 4th Precinct in Hewlett

$12 million project is expected to be storm resilient and user friendly

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Police, elected officials and community members gathered on Sheridan Avenue, immediately off Broadway in Hewlett for the grand opening of the renovated 4th Precinct building on Tuesday. Located next door to the old station, which was damaged during Hurricane Sandy, the new 20,000-square-foot building had everyone buzzing.

The doors originally opened on Oct. 11, but there appeared to be a continuing sense of excitement from the officers was palpable. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder believes that the new building will help make the precinct more welcoming to the community.

“This is a well-respected neighborhood and it has a lot of support for its law enforcement,” he said, “but you want [the community] to have a door out front that says come in.”

In addition to the more inviting external appearance, the new building also has a dedicated line-up room and several private interview areas. Built with increased resiliency in mind, it is elevated and does not have a basement to prevent flooding, and the roof should withstand any amount rainfall without leaking.

“We can withstand any storm that comes through,” Ryder said. “We don’t have to evacuate, so we’re not going to flood out and we’re not going to have to run out.”

County Executive Ed Mangano spoke before unveiling the plaque dedicated to Nassau’s past, present and future police officers, and cutting the ceremonial ribbon. He noted how Sandy exposed the decaying state of a lot of the county’s infrastructure, much of which hadn’t been upgraded nor replaced in more than 50 years.

Mangano also thanked the officers for the work they’ve done, saying that thanks to them the Five Towns has been one of the safest areas in the country. “Statistically the crime rate has never been lower,” he said.

The building had been under construction for the past two years, and while Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun, the commanding officer of the public information office, did not have the figures for how much money the project cost as of press time, the final application for funding, found on nassaucounty.gov, listed the price tag as $12 million with all funding coming from the state via the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery.

The ceremony also featured a speech from the department’s Chaplin, Rabbi Dr. Barry Dov Schwartz. He recalled affixing a mezuzah, a Torah verse contained in a decorative case, inside the doorframe as a prayer for the protection of the officers on Oct. 11. “It’s like a Jewish security system,” he joked.

Schwartz also thanked Ryder for inviting Jewish leaders from across the county for a meeting on synagogue security before the high holy days. In turn, Ryder, said he appreciated all the support the police receiving during the construction process from the local legislators

Ryder also hopes that the new building helps the precinct ingratiate themselves with the community. “It tells the community we care about them because we know they care about us,” he said.