Police Commish Addresses Burglaries, Gangs and Other Concerns in Lakeview

Concerned about the safety of their community after a string of home burglaries, many Lakeview residents turned out to a meeting at their local library Wednesday night to get answers from the head of the Nassau County Police.

Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter told them one of the four subjects believed to be responsible for the burglaries  He has been identified as James Wells-Jones, 16, of Syosset. Police allege that the subjects worked together and are responsible for several burglaries in the Lakeview community between Sept. 30 and Nov. 3.

"They are in hiding," Krumpter said of the three individuals still at large. He explained that police have identified them, but have yet to locate them. "We have good leads," he added.

On the bright side there have been no reported burglaries in the community since Wells-Jones was arrested and thefts of items taken from parked cars in Lakeview have also ceased.

Still, Krumpter advised residents to secure their homes, as 20 percent of all burglaries happen because doors and windows were left opened, and if possible, get a dog or an alarm system. He also said they should always lock their cars and never leave valuables such as electronics or pocketbooks inside. 

"If you insist on leaving it in the car, it should be out of sight," he said. "People who do this kind of crime are scavengers, trying doors and looking into cars for things of any value." That even includes loose change.

Krumpter said across Nassau County, burglaries have been a problem that the police has been addressing "aggressively" by using intelligence including DNA.

"We are making arrests on a daily basis," he added.

Despite this issue, major crime is down 0.65 percent this year in the Fifth Precinct, which includes West Hempstead, Lakeview, Elmont, Valley Stream, Franklin Square and Valley Stream.

"In the Fifth Precinct, crime is driven by Elmont and Valley Stream," especially the area near Green Acres mall, where many felonies are committed, Krumpter said. "Lakeview is not a hot spot. It’s a very safe community...and judging from the amount of people here it is filled with number of conscientious people."

Legis. Robert Troiano, who respresents District 2 and organized the meeting, thanked the residents for coming out on such a dreary night and with little advanced notice.

In addition to the burglaries though, the community voiced a number of other concerns including road conditions on Woodfield Road and speeding on Ocean Avenue, Champlain Avenue, Langdon Boulevard and Pinebrook Avenue, which both Troiano and Krumpter said they would look into addressing.

They brought up on-going issues including a home on Barbara Lane believed to be a rooming house, and loitering outside one local barber shop. Krumpter said the police can do little to stop the latter problem since these people are congregating on private property, unless residents report witnessing illegal activity taking place or the store's owner requests they be evicted.

One woman also expressed her concern about gangs in the area, saying that a young man she knows had been approached by some members.

"A gun was put to his head and he was threatened to join," she said. "That young men is scared to death. He won't even go to the police."

Krumpter said Nassau County Police has its own gang unit and encouraged the woman to tell the boy to contact them.

"Obviously he’s scared and we understand that but need information," he said, adding that the unit will know how to handle the matter discreetly. There's also a taskforce established specifically to address the gang situation in Lakeview and Rockville Centre, where several members were recently arrested as part of a federal investigation.

And the question that Krumpter said he's been getting often these days was also asked - whether the Nassau County Police would be closing two of its precincts and how would this affect residents' safety.

Krumpter said the County budget currently calls for two precincts to close, but this would require approval by the legislature.

"If they don't close, Nassau County Police would have to come up with another $15 million in savings," he said. He explained that after scrutinizing the roughly $700 million budget, they found that closing the precincts would be the best way to save money without putting the public's safety at risk.

"After two precincts are closed, we will still turn out same number of police officers," he said. They would eliminate 81 support positions, through attrition rather than layoffs, and redistrict all of Nassau County into six rather than eight precincts. Busier precincts like the Third may see their workload reduced as others take on more. "We're leveling out the workload," he added.

Krumpter also stated that with the introduction of new technologies including computers inside their patrol cars, officers have less and less of a need to actually go to their precincts.

"There are cops in this county that don’t visit a precinct for a month at a time," he said. "Computers in cars have changed the game."