Where will new police station go?

County searching for precinct's new home

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Nassau County is still searching for a home for the Police Department’s 7th Precinct headquarters. The station now in use, at the corner of Merrick Road and Neptune Avenue in Seaford, is considered outdated. 

County Legislator Steven Rhoads said that the possibility of relocating precinct headquarters to the entrance of Cedar Creek Park, on the Wantagh-Seaford border, has been ruled out. Potential new locations for the department were discussed at the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association meeting on Feb 11 at Tackapausha Museum.

“We have approved the funds to construct a new 7th Precinct,” Rhoads said. “If you’ve ever been inside the building, it’s just too small, too antiquated and outdated by 60 years.

“It also exists in a flood plain and has sustained some damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy,” he added. “It’s much more cost-effective to replace that building than to actually rebuild it.”

The headquarters for the precinct, which includes all of Seaford and Massapequa as well as parts of Wantagh, North Wantagh, North Massapequa, Bellmore and Merrick, was built in the 1950s and expanded in 1968. With little space and minimal parking, the precinct is in need of a new location.

“We were looking at the possibility of putting the precinct at a safer location,” Rhoads said. Part of the attraction of Cedar Creek Park was the fact that the county owns the land, Rhoads said, but due to resistance from neighbors, the location was ruled out. The county is still looking for community input on other potential sites. 

“Our concern with reconstructing the building is that because it sits on a flood plain, we have to raise the building,” Rhoads said. “It would look out of place with the rest of the community.”

The county hopes to find a location that would put the department in the central part of the precinct, in either Wantagh or Seaford. This would give officers access to main roads and help them respond to emergency situations expeditiously. Rhoads said that the location would also need to have enough parking space for 85 vehicles. 

The county is currently looking at a variety of locations for by public utilities. Rhoads said that buying private land would be a last resort, because of the expense.

“Once we narrow down the locations to a more manageable list, we will set up meetings with the communities for more of an input,” he said. “In the end, we want to do good for our Police Department, but also do good for the communities that the police serve.”

Crime issues

“One of the biggest problems we have in the 7th Precinct is larceny from automobiles,” said Inspector Joseph Barbieri, the precinct commander. “It seems that everybody uses their console to keep everything in there, from high-end sunglasses, wallets, laptops, briefcases, pocketbooks and credit cards. Thieves know what good stuff can be found in consoles, especially in the neighborhoods of Seaford, Wantagh and the Massapequas. We are asking [you] to keep your doors locked and keep driveways well lit.”

With burglaries and larcenies a concern in Nassau County, the Police Department is asking town residents to lock up valuables and be cautious of their surroundings. “We suggest you put purses and laptops in the trunk, especially at the gym,” Barbieri said. “You are all the eyes and ears of these towns, so if you see a suspicious vehicle or person, get the exact location, a description of the person, a description of the car, and if possible, the license plate number.”

Other crimes, including phone scams and break-ins, have also been a countywide problem. Many scammers call from untraceable numbers, claiming to be from the IRS.

“It’s tax time, and people will fall for it,” Barbieri said. “They are very good at it, and the scams they have usually involve money grams or green cards. They give you a specific location and that money can be directly wired to them. You never meet these people, you never see them and it’s all done through technology. Unfortunately, these types of scams usually target the elderly.”

Several thefts and burglaries have occurred between Park and Jerusalem avenues in Wantagh. The inspector said that there are some patterns behind many of these incidents.

“The driving force for many of these larcenies is substance abuse,” Barbieri said. “Just this year alone we’ve used Narcan at least 25 times, and county-wide, we’ve saved 365 lives. The problem of heroin still continues, but we are always trying to get our detectives to these overdose situations, because we figure when a person is at their worst, they may give up their suppliers.” 

The heroin epidemic on Long Island has convinced the 7th Precinct, and many other precincts in the county, to bring back POP, or problem-oriented policing, officers. “This was a program we’ve had for many years, but had to cut back on,” Barbieri said. “The process was difficult, but they’ve hit the ground with their feet running. The advantage of this program is that the officers are going to be able to take the time to really work closely with community leaders, business leaders and the different residents to work on the non-emergency and quality-of-life issues that affect the livelihood of our communities.”