3rd Police Precinct Meeting opened at 07:05pm on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at the Central Islip Public Library, 33 Hawthorne Ave., Central Islip, NY
Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 7 at 7:00 pm at the Islip Public Library, 71 Monell Ave., Islip, NY
Meeting was well attended, approximately 45 Community residents and 14 Officers which included Auxiliary POs
• Deputy Chief Dave Regina opened the meeting, welcomed all and explained the format. He introduced Mike Kelly as the new Inspector of the 3rd Precinct and Matt McKee as the new Captain. Dave has been promoted to Deputy Chief of Patrol at Headquarters.
Chief Regina presented the information for this meeting:
• The opening slide showed the latest statistics. Overall numbers are still down for the year. Murder/manslaughter is up from 2 in 2024 to 9 thus far this year. While a serious issue, all homicides this year have been cleared. They either knew each other or were somehow connected.
• Search Warrants issued show an uptick in gang activity and drug traffic.
• June 14th saw a protest regarding ICE activity in Brentwood. The protest was peaceful and it was restated that Suffolk police do not request status in their dealings with the public and do not work with ICE. The protest drew 300-500 people.
• June 19th 2 people were seriously injured in a shooting at the Hawthorne Ave living complex in Central Islip. A 15 year old male was arrested 2 days later for the crime.
• Alex Reyes was arrested on June 24th for the murder of Alexander Velasquez during a robbery in Brentwood.
• An 11 year old dirt bike rider was seriously injured on June 22nd at 7:42 pm when he collided with the passenger side of a car in Brentwood.
• A pedestrian was killed and another injured on June 28th when a motor vehicle struck them on St. Johns Street in Central Islip. Deputy Chief Regina added that while this is a terrible accident pedestrians usually have a high culpability in these accidents via walking in roads and out of crosswalks during low visibility conditions.
• In July a cleanup, increased Police presence, and Social Services was brought in to assist with the homeless situation at the shopping center at Heywood Ave. and Washington in Brentwood. PanHandling is not illegal or against the law, but the situation was affecting local business traffic.
• A pedestrian was killed on July 12th while crossing Suffolk Ave. in Brentwood.
• July 24th a Police Officer was shot in the face during an investigation of a man found dead in Bay Shore. The police Hostage Negotiation team responded and the man surrendered to police.
• August 5th in Bay Shore a man armed with a sword threatened Police Officers who ordered him to surrender numerous times. They deployed a taser and were forced to fire on him. He was taken into custody and taken to the hospital.
• National Night Out took place on August 5th at Roberto Clemente Park for the 3rd Precinct. It was a big success for the Community again this year.
• A homeless man was arrested for attempting to kidnap a child at a Bay Shore Mosque on August 20th. The child was rescued and was not harmed. The same suspect, Nelson Priester, was also arrested for Grand Larceny and reckless endangerment on July 31st.
• A request was made looking for volunteers to join the Auxiliary Police. They aid the police in all non-enforcement activities thus freeing Police Officers for other tasks.
• A Q&A period for specific issues was supported by individual Police Officers and community residents.
Meeting adjourned at 815pm
