4^th precinct Inspector Regina ran tonight’s meeting.

SCCPAAA President Kevin O’Hare, board members Jay Jost, Lauri Murphy, Robert Murphy and Rich Perez were in attendance

Tonight’s speaker was Detective James Pase of the Suffolk County Arson Squad who gave a presentation on the squad. It as a very interesting and informative presentation. We learned about the daily operation of the arson squad. Detective Pase described the degrees of arson, fire investigation and evidence collection.

At the conclusion of the presentation the Inspector reviewed with the residents the police activity in the precinct during the previous month.

Among the incidents discussed:

Based on an investigation that began with a crime stoppers tip Police executed a search warrant on Blythe Road in Ronkonkoma. A large quantity of drugs and weapons were recovered.

A special enforcement effort in April by the 4^th precinct and highway patrol section resulted in 118 UTTs, 109 moving violations and 9 non-moving violations being issued. 

3^rd precinct officers made an arrest on May 14^th for an assault of a 79 year old victim at Costco in Commack. Robert Whittaker was charged with assault 2^nd degree.

Multiple incidents of antisemitism occurred in the precinct during the month of May.

It was determined that the same individual was responsible for all the incidents. The suspect was located at his residence and was evaluated by the mobile crisis team He was transported to Stony Brook CPEP for a mental health evaluation.

St. Catherine’s hospital presented the 4^th precinct with a plaque of appreciation during police week.

Three commercial burglaries occurred in the precinct in May.  Again police believe one individual is responsible for all of the break ins. 

In response to community complaints a raid was conducted at Crystal Spa in Ronkonkoma. Two employees were arrested for unauthorized practice of a profession and prostitution. The Town of Islip closed the business.

Upon investigation by 4^th squad detectives an arrest for public lewdness was made regarding an incident occurring on April 22^nd.

Police conducted Operation Smokehouse in May which resulted in numerous violations and arrests.

Major case detectives arrested two individuals on May 30^th for three attempted robberies of postal keys from U.S. Postal Workers on two residential blocks in Smithtown.

A fatal motor vehicle crash occurred on May 31^st on Main Street just west of Terry Road in Smithtown. A motorcycle was eastbound on Main Street and apparently lost control. 

An individual suffered gunshot wounds on May 31^st in the parking lot of Jake’s 58 Casino.  4^th squad detectives responded and are handling the investigation.

The next 4^th Precinct community meeting will be held at the Commack branch of the Smithtown Library on September 3^rd at 7PM.

Thanks to Robert Murphy for this report.

Dear Alumni Members,

Here are the major May 2024 statistics for the 1st Precinct which held its meeting on June 6, 2024:

416 arrests;

4 commercial burglaries;

2 residential burglaries;

0 robberies;

525 car crashes with 64 leaving the scene; 1 fatality;

8 stolen vehicles with 3 for unauthorized use; and

3 shootings, 2 resulting in arrests.

Deputy Inspector Paul Hyland, the 1st Precinct Executive Officer, made the presentation.

Here are the notable comments:

Violent crime is down approximately 30% in the Precinct thus far this year.  

Inspector Hyland said that there are target locations in the Precinct based on current statistics.  One such target resulted with the recovery of a large amount of illegal drugs and a handgun being seized.  One officer was injured in the operation.

Two officers from the Behavioral Health Unit stated that the team is now three years old and has handled 800 cases since its inception.  The unit gets involved in mental health issues from the very initial call and works with Family Service League to help individuals get needed treatment.  The 24-hour DASH (Diagnostic, Assessment, and Stabilization Hub) phone number is 631-952-3333.

The date of the next community meeting will be announced in the near future.  All residents are welcome.

Respectfully,

Justin Cooper

1st Precinct Coordinator

Thanks to Mike Aziz

In attendance representing SCCPAAA were Bob Marketta and Lou Giudice.

April 2024 had 590 crimes, down from 623 last year for the same period, a 5.3% decrease.
These crimes included:

• 0 Homicide
• 8 Aggravated Assaults
• 4 Burglaries (2 Residential, 2 Commercial)
• 3 Robberies
• 5 Grand Larcenies Auto
• 4 Trigger Pulls (0 Victims Shot) out of (8 recorded gun crimes)
• compared to April 2023, when we had 1 Trigger Pull (0 Victim Shot) out of (3 recorded gun crimes)

There were 231 arrests on 296 charges in April including:

• 7 Assaults
• 0 Burglaries
• 43 Drugs
• 2 Robberies

April had 17 drug overdoses with 2 fatalities,
compared with April 2023 with 34 overdoses and 4 fatalities.

April had 523 motor vehicle crashes compared to April 2023 with 485 crashes, up 7.8%.

• 0 fatality
• 61 leaving the scene
• 2 DWI related

There were 24 arrests for DWI with 37 charges.

Officers wrote 2364 tickets.
Highway Bureau SITE Unit issued an additional 162 tickets.

Reported by Lou Giudice(edit)

4^th precinct Inspector Regina ran tonight’s meeting.

SCCPAAA President Kevin O’Hare, board members Jay Jost, Lauri Murphy and alumni member Richard Skohik were in attendance

The Inspector introduced Detective Kevin Rieppel who gave a presentation on the SCPD Identification Section. We learned that the Identification Section has many responsibilities within the department. They include dusting for fingerprints and taking photographs at crime scenes. The section also takes aerial photographs using helicopters and drones. A new investigative tool named Faro Scanning is also being used. It was a very interesting presentation.

The Inspector then reviewed with the residents the police activity in the precinct during the previous month.

Among the incidents discussed:

Police responded to a fatal overdose behind Friendly’s on Jericho Turnpike in Commack.

Enforcement action was taken against participants in a “sideshow gathering” (road racing) on Platinum Court in Medford. This has been an ongoing issue for quite a while across the county.

127 traffic summonses were issued, one arrest was made for reckless driving and one stolen vehicle was recovered during the operation.

Award ceremonies were held at the 4^th precinct on 5-1-2024. 4^th precinct cop of the year for 2023 was Dale Warwick.

Thank you Lauri Murphy for this report