3rd Police Precinct Meeting opened at 7:00pm on Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Next meeting is Tuesday, February 4, 7:00pm at the Brentwood Library

Meeting was well attended (approximately 75 people)

A Precinct Level Advisory Board (PLAB) meeting was conducted prior to the regular meeting.  The meeting was led by Captain Teplansky.  The group meets every quarter and the public is invited to attend and listen.

Inspector Maronski led the meeting with input as necessary from his Staff and other Officers

They requested that we keep Police Officer Brendon Gallagher in our prayers

-He reviewed the November events:

Coffee with a Cop at El Paisita Bakery

Pine Park Elementary School w/K9

Thanksgiving Food giveaways

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

Thanksgiving meal at River of Life Church

-He reviewed the December events since we did not have a meeting:

2 Shop with a Cop events

2 “Toys for Tots” events

Parranda with Puerto Rican Coalition

Toy Giveaways at Brentwood and Central Islip Schools

Three Kings with Puerto Rican Coalition

-Comparison of 3rd Precinct Crime Stats ’24 and ’23 shows an overall decrease in crime

-A dispute at Copas Bar in Bay Shore resulted in the bar being closed by the Town of Islip (TOI)  and a hearing scheduled with NYS Liquor Authority

-A homeless man entered a home in West Islip and was arrested.  There appears to be an issue   and TOI, Good Samaritan Hospital and the residents are meeting to discuss this problem.

-2024 showed an increase of 64.3% in Traffic Summonses issued by 3rd Precinct Personnel

-There is a continuing problem with homelessness in TOI and Department of Social Services (DSS) now uses DASH (631-952-3333) and Long Island Coalition for the Homeless (631-464-4314 ext. 118) for outreach

-There will be an interfaith gathering on Sunday, January 12 from 3-5pm at the First Baptist church in Bay Shore to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

-There is still a need for School Crossing Guards.  This is a continuing issue which keeps Patrol

Officers tied up with this duty during the day in lieu of normal Police Patrol duties.

-The Contact Numbers and Media Sites were projected as usual

Questions and answers were next, and several topics were brought up:

Mini bikes on the neighborhood streets

Need for COPE to visit homes with autistic children to help them allay fears of the uniforms

Breakout discussion with individuals with issues they wanted to report and a group discussion with a contingent from West Islip on their homeless problem (Inspector Maronski reiterated that we cannot police our way out of the homeless, drugs and mental health issues we face.  There are other agencies who must get involved).

Thanks to JoAnn Kukenis

4^th precinct Inspector Regina ran the December meeting.

An instructor from the SCPD Emergency Medical Training Unit provided training to the community members attending on “Hands Only” CPR. It was an in-depth training session and we all learned a great deal. The lecture was very thorough and informative.

The Inspector then proceeded with the precinct meeting. He ran a PowerPoint presentation that showed among other things crime statistics in the precinct. He explained the trends for various crimes in the precinct.

In November once again the SITE team (which consists of highway patrol officers) assisted the precinct enforce traffic violations in certain areas. 79 moving violations and 7 non-moving violations were observed and 86 summonses were issued.

On 11-23-2024 4^th precinct units responded to a report of a fight at the Smith Haven Mall. It began as a fight inside the mall and then moved outside where a 16 year old was stabbed. The male was transported to Stony Brook Hospital for treatment. 4^th Squad detectives responded and are handling the investigation.

On 11-24-2024 4^th precinct units responded to a report of a stabbing at Gino’s Pizza in Nesconset. A 60 year old victim was transported to Stony Brook Hospital for treatment. Officers quickly took into custody the suspect, who was a fellow employee of the business.

On 11-29-2024 4^th precinct units responded to a report of youths fighting in the food court of the Smith Haven Mall. During the altercation a firearm fell out of the pocket of one of the subjects and slid across the floor. Officers immediately responded and the firearm was quickly recovered. A person of interest was later located at Dick’s Sporting Goods. He was ultimately charged by 4^th Squad Detectives with CPW in the 2^nd degree.

The next community meeting will be held on January 7th at the Smithtown Library Nesconset Building. The meeting begins at 7PM.

Thanks to Robert and Lauri Murphy

The December 3rd scheduled meeting was cancelled. The next scheduled community meeting is planned for Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 at the Central Islip Library.

Thanks to JoAnn Kukenis and Tony Blumenstetter for this report.

Dear Alumni Members,

Here are the major November 2024 statistics for the 1st Precinct which held its community meeting on December 5, 2024:

386 arrests;

5 commercial burglaries, 3 in East Farmingdale;

7 residential burglaries; 5 in Amityville;

2 robberies;

563 car crashes with 66 leaving the scene; 1 serious; and

10 motor vehicle thefts with 4 in West Babylon.

Inspector Brendan Forte, the 1st Precinct Commanding Officer, made the presentation.  He indicated that his precinct has many new, young officers which he sees as a positive development.  The Inspector also indicated that officers would be available to speak to local community groups at their meetings.

Deputy Inspector Michael Koubek, the new Executive Officer of the Precinct, was introduced and made brief remarks.

The next community meeting will be in February, 2025.   The date, time, and location have not yet been announced.  All residents are welcome.

Respectfully,

Justin Cooper

1st Precinct Coordinator

Present at this meeting were Lauri Murphy and Rich and Deborah Perez.
4th precinct Inspector Regina ran tonight’s meeting.

Guest Speakers were Detectives Tom Monaco and Tom Specialli from the Financial Crimes Unit.
They stated that there is an uptick in “white washed checks” in Suffolk County.  Thieves are removing envelopes from mailboxes as well as stealing mailbox keys from mail carriers.
Although some local post offices are denying the allegations, some mail thefts have occured  right on post office property .  The Detectives advised to ALWAYS go inside the post office to mail anything.          
Thieves are changing the names on checks as well as the amounts.  As per the Detectives, banks are ONLY obligated to refund money up to 60 days after they’re cashed. Report any check fraud to your local police department.

Caller ID scams-
Never trust the phone numbers that show up on your caller ID.  Thieves have found a way to mimic local area codes as well as pretending to be a relative in distress, a government official, a charity worker etc.  Search phone numbers and other info. to check their credibility. Hang up on robocalls and be skeptical about any business offering free trials.

Don’t carry important documents like Social Security numbers, passports, birth certificates, computer passwords on a regular basis. if you are robbed your information will be compromised.  

Watch what you post on Facebook, Instagram etc.
View all bank statements, check credit reports, put a freeze on credit card applications and loans.  Keep security software updated, use strong passwords and destroy old hard drives and never click an unsolicited E-Mail.
Any Questions? Call the Financial Crimes Unit-631-852-6821

Inspector Regina introduced a new Deputy Inspector- Peter Ervolina.  

In October the 4th precinct had: 113 Utt’s, 105 Moving Violations and 8 non-moving violations.

There was a serious motorcycle accident on 10/11/24 at the corner of Jericho Turnpike and Moorewood Dr. in Smithtown. The motorcyclist was listed in serious condition and was transported to Stony Brook Hospital.

On 10/13/24 there was another motorcycle accident near Stonehenge Lane and Joshuas Path in Hauppauge.

On 10/13/24 officers responded to the report of a stolen Uber Eats vehicle in the shopping center at 88 Vets Hwy Commack  The driver left the car running.  A male suspect entered the car and crashed into a fire hydrant.  Joseph Ellis ran into a wooded area where he was  caught by a K-9 unit. Ellis was charged with grand larceny. He had a prior auto theft charge in Kings Park.

On 4/10/24 there were two separate pedestrian motor vehicle accidents. As per eye witnesses and car dashcam footage, the pedestrians in both cases were negligent.  One crossed against the traffic signal wearing dark clothing in a poorly lit area, the other a 15 year old girl crossed against the traffic signal  directly in front of a moving vehicle.   

Officer Roy Thorpe was given The  Highway Safety Award.  This event took place in Lake Placid. Inspector  Regina accompanied him.   
The next community meeting will be held on 12/03/24 at the Nesconset Library.