Reopen the NCPD Sixth Precinct on Community Drive

The Greater Council of Manhasset Civici Associations and Other Concerned Residents hereby demand the reopening of the Nassau County Sixth Precinct on Community Drive in Manhasset. The precinct must be restored to its fully operational, fully staffed condition as it was prior to being merged with the Third Precinct. Merging of Nassau County's precincts was proposed be a major cost saving effort. Four years later, there is NO cost savings demonstrated in the County budget.

Residents were promised there would be no reduction in service because all sector cars would remain in place. The County then removed from the Sixth Precinct:
• a dedicated Commanding Officer,
• a dedicated administrative Sergeant,
• four plain clothes officers tasked with DWI and targeted burglary patrol,
• four POP (Problem Oriented Police) officers and a
• dedicated VTL (Vehicle and Traffic Law) enforcement officer.
• All detectives were relocated to the Third Precinct.
While the number of sector cars assigned to the area formerly known as the Sixth has remained the same, service has been adversely affected.
• Sector cars processing an arrest must travel further to do so and are out of service longer. Sector cars must address duties that were formerly assigned to special patrols.
• Those in administrative positions have increased responsibilities and must do more with less.
• Residents wishing to speak with a detective must travel to the Third Precinct.
• Those wishing to file a police report are at times met with extraordinarily long waits at the Community Policing Center (CPC) due to short staffing. The alternative to waiting at the CPC is to call 911 and file a report at home thus taking a patrol car out of service for what should be a routine matter.
Residents are all grateful that major crime is down. However, that is only one measure of policing. Residential burglaries are up, VTL enforcement is routinely absent in the Manhasset downtown area, and quality of life concerns aren't being addressed on a consistent and routine basis. An understaffed POP unit of two officers, while hailed that it has been recently re-established, is not sufficient and effective when two officers must cover from the Queens border to Glen Head. Establishment of the COPE Unit is conceptually a step in the right direction. However, 10 officers to cover the needs of 8 precincts will not provide for consistent and routine targeted enforcement in the 6th as the need for this unit spreads across the entire county.
Residents of the Sixth Precinct pay full taxes and deserve to have full police coverage in the form of a fully restored precinct on Community Drive.