Law enforcement heroes honored in Valley Stream

The Valley Stream Civilian Patrol and Mayor Ed Fare recognized four members of the Nassau County Police Department on June 28 for their heroic actions during an attempted robbery in North Valley Stream on Jan. 16.

Officers Juan Giron and George Pribyl were on hand for the ceremony, which took place during the Civilian Patrol meeting at Village Hall. Officer Timothy Siar and Sgt. Ed Grimm were also honored with citations, but were unable to attend the meeting.

Both Giron and Pribyl said, “it was an honor” to be recognized. Pribyl, a Valley Stream resident for the last 11 years, said one of the reasons he keeps the area safe is because his kids live in the community.

At about 9:15 p.m. on Jan. 16, Timothy Capers and Levy Robinson, both of Queens, forced their way into a home at the corner of Dana Avenue and Howell Road, tied up three people and began looking for money. Both Capers and Robinson were armed with handguns, according to police.

Shortly afterward, the first officer arrived on the scene. The officer learned that the suspects and the family were inside, forced his way in and got the family out. “The heroic actions of all the responding officers certainly saved the occupants from extraordinarily dangerous, armed individuals,” Inspector Kenneth Lack of the Nassau County Police Department’s Public Information Office said.

According to police, Capers and officers exchanged gunfire in the home, while Robinson hid in a back room and was later arrested. Capers killed himself amidst the gunfire, police said.

“When we heard that they went in and saved those people we thought they deserved to be recognized,” said Ralph Polverino, president of the Civilian Patrol. “We want to be friends with the police. We’re not policeman, we just try to be extra eyes for the community.”

Fare highlighted the five divisions of law enforcement in Valley Stream — the Nassau County Police Department, Auxiliary Police, Code Enforcement, Public Safety and the Civilian Patrol. “I could not be prouder of the law enforcement operation that we have here in Valley Stream,” he said.

With their respective wives on hand, both Pribyl and Giron were called up to accept their citations. “Mayors can walk around with citations all the time,” Fare said, “but this is a community volunteer group who said, ‘wait a minute, these people do more than the average person. They help our village, they help our residents.’”