Tuesday, February 4, 2025 7pm at the Brentwood Library:

Next meeting is Tuesday, March 4, 2025 11:00AM at the West Islip Library, 3 Higbie Lane, West Islip

Meeting was well attended (approximately 45 people)

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

– New Leadership  have been identified:

• Commissioner Kevin Catalina
• DPC Belinda Groneman
• Chief Robert Waring

– Precinct Level Advisory Board (PLAB) is and will be a positive force in helping the precinct shape the future

– Lock It or Lose It – Police continue to stress the importance NOT to leave possessions unlocked / unattended and running in the case of vehicles

– Overall numbers for crime are down

• Specific local issues are being addressed via this meeting and COPE efforts.
• A comparison of 3rd Precinct Crime Stats ’24 and ’23 shows an overall decrease in crime.

– Coffee with a Cop – Tuesday, February 25 from 10am to 12noon – My Town’s Cafe, East Islip

There is still a need for School Crossing Guards. This ongoing issue keeps Patrol Officers tied up with this duty during the day in lieu of normal Police Patrol duties.

– Positions open for people who wish to be Evidence Recovery Tow Operators

– Operation Medicine Cabinet – 24/7 at the Precinct for your personal unused / outdated prescription medications

– Suffolk County Police Department WILL NOT ask immigration status during any call for service

– The Contact Numbers and Media Sites were provided as usual

– Upcoming St. Patrick’s Day Parades:

• Sunday, March 2 – East Islip
• Saturday, March 8 – BayShore
• Saturday, March 22 – Brentwood      

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

• Mini bikes on the neighborhood streets
• Breakout discussion for individuals with issues they wanted to report

Feb 4th, 2025:

4^th precinct Inspector Regina ran the February meeting along with Deputy Inspector Ervolina.

The Inspector ran a PowerPoint presentation that showed crime statistics in the precinct as well as the county. He explained the trends for various crimes in the precinct.

The SITE team (which consists of highway patrol officers) assisted the precinct enforce traffic violations in certain areas of the precinct again in January. 147 summonses were issued. Of those 129 were moving violations and 18 were non-moving violations. The targeted areas of enforcement were the areas in the precinct that had the largest number of motor vehicle accidents.

On 01-01-25 Police attempted to arrest an individual in the parking lot of the BP gas station on express drive south in Holbrook. As the arrest was being attempted the suspect put his vehicle in reverse at a high rate of speed and narrowly missed two officers, striking a police car. He then fled the scene driving recklessly. Following an investigation by the 4^th Precinct Crime Section, SOT Detectives and 6^th Squad Detectives the suspect was located in Ronkonkoma on 01-09-2025 and was placed under arrest. His car was impounded as evidence.

In response to numerous community complaints regarding prostitution, 3 Spas in Smithtown were raided in January. A total of 5 individuals were arrested as a result of the raids. The locations were deemed unsafe for occupancy by the Smithtown Fire Marshal and multiple violations were issued.

Two people were arrested in January for selling nicotine products to an underage person during compliance checks at a business in the 4^th Precinct.

On 01-25-25 4^th Precinct units responded to Portion Road in Ronkonkoma for a report of an MVC. Officers located a single vehicle crash into a utility pole. The lone occupant was transported to Stony Brook Hospital and was pronounced dead. The 4^th Squad is handling the investigation.

On 02-01-25 4^th precinct units responded to Rte 347 and Hallock Road for a report of a MVC. A twenty four year old female pedestrian was deceased at the scene. She was struck by an eastbound vehicle that failed to stop and continued eastbound. Major Case Unit detectives are handling the investigation. Detectives believe the involved vehicle to be a 2006 to 2007 dark grey Honda Accord.

Officer Brendan Gallagher was released on 01-27-2025 from Stony Brook Hospital. Officer Gallagher sustained life threatening injuries as a result of a crash on the LIE.

On 01-30-2025 a jogger called 911 to report that he was lost in Blydenburgh Park and was stuck in chest high mud. The jogger was attempting to retrieve his dog who had wandered onto the mud. 4^th precinct officers, Emergency Services and Aviation responded. Officers successfully pulled the man to shore and he was treated at the scene.

The next community meeting will be held on March 4th at the Smithtown Library Nesconset Building. The meeting begins at 7PM.

In attendance representing SCCPAAA was Lou Giudice.

January 2025 had 731 crimes, down from 687 last year for the same period.
Therefore, compared to last year, crime increased by 6.4% for the month of January .
These crimes included:

• 0 Homicide
• 8 Aggravated Assaults
• 8 Burglaries (5 Residential, 3 Commercial)
• 3 Robberies
• 7 Grand Larcenies Auto
• 1 Trigger Pull (0 Victim Shot) out of 2 recorded gun crimes
• compared to January 2024, when we had 1 Trigger Pull (0 Victims Shot) out of 5 recorded gun crimes

There were 217 arrests on 286 charges in January including:

• 10 Assaults
• 4 Burglaries
• 51 Drugs
• 4 Robberies

January had 12 drug overdoses with 4 fatalities,
compared with January 2024 with 26 overdoses and 3 fatalities.

January had 552 motor vehicle crashes compared to January 2024 with 532 crashes, up 3.8%.

• 2 SPI 1 fatal
• 62 leaving the scene
• 1 DWI related

There were 16 arrests for DWI with 16 charges.

Officers wrote 2305 tickets.
Highway Bureau SITE Unit issued 97 additional tickets.

Reported by Lou Giudice

Here are the significant January 2025 statistics for the 1st Precinct, which held its community meeting on February 6, 2025:

• 375 arrests
• 7 commercial burglaries, 3 in Copiague
• 4 residential burglaries
• 7 robberies
• 469 car crashes, with 55 leaving the scene
• 13 motor vehicle thefts, 5 in Wyandanch
• 2 shootings

Inspector Brendan Forte, the 1st Precinct Commanding Officer, introduced Community Liaison officers Nick Schieda, Luke Denatov, and Dara Caramanico-Broyles, who jointly conducted the meeting. 

We were reminded not to leave keys in the car or the engine running. The car may be gone, or valuables left in plain sight may be missing.

The officers said they attend many civic organization meetings monthly to discuss community concerns.

We were told that 125 youngsters were treated to a holiday visit at a shopping center and allowed to pick out free gifts.

It was also announced that crime was down 40% in the county for last year.

The next community meeting will be on March 6, 2025, at 12 noon at the Lindenhurst Public Library. All residents are welcome.

Justin Cooper
1st Precinct Coordinator