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Mostly Cloudy Police, residents talk 5th Precinct's future
Recent crime trends and future priorities are topics of discussion at forum
The commanding officer of the 5th Precinct, James Bartscherer, and several of his officers held a community forum at the Gateway Christian Center in Valley Stream on April 30, telling the small group of attendees that the reopening of the precinct was a direct result of the community’s efforts, and is the start of a cooperative effort to make the area safer.
“This is a continuum,” Bartscherer said. “The precinct has opened, as you all know, but the dialogue is definitely going to continue, and that’s what we’re starting with tonight.”
Bartscherer said that, overall, crime has declined steadily in Nassau County over the past 25 years, and in the last year went down significantly in the 5th Precinct, which covers Elmont, Franklin Square, Garden City South, Lakeview, Lynbrook, Malverne, South Floral Park, Valley Stream and West Hempstead. He said there has been a recent uptick, however.
The 29-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department was accompanied by his deputy commanding officer, Gary Stanzoni, the commanding officer of the robbery squad, Sgt. John Giambrone, Sgt. Edward Grim and Lt. Jeiver Espinosa, deputy commanding officer of community affairs. Each spoke about what their focus will be and how the community can help.
Bartscherer provided some statistics, including a 4 percent reduction in crime at the Green Acres Mall from 2013 to 2014, and a 12 percent drop from April 2014 to April 2015. For the 5th Precinct’s geographical area, he noted a 6 percent decrease in reported crimes since last year. He also noted a recent increase in commercial burglaries, including seven in the North Valley Stream area in recent months.
He said that the arrests of two men on April 11 who were charged with all seven should be the end of that spree. Giambrone, whose unit operates countywide, addressed the six knifepoint robberies that occurred at stores around Valley Stream between Feb. 9 and April 7, mostly on North Central Avenue and Rockaway Avenue.
He noted the robber’s distinctive modus operandi, threatening clerks with a large kitchen knife and taking the whole tray from the register once they open it. He said that that detail is something residents should be on the lookout for.
