East Williston responds to spate of robberies

Noah Manskar

Nassau County police and East Williston officials are putting boots on the ground to address a recent spate of robberies in the village that has made some residents feel uneasy.

Police have stepped up patrols in the village and are working with plainclothes officers as the Third Precinct’s two burglary detectives investigate the series of crimes, Inspector John Berry said at Monday’s village Board of Trustees meeting.

The village has also hired a private patrol car from Bethpage-based PDQ Security to further bolster the police presence, which will report any suspicious activity to police, Mayor David Tanner said.

“At some point it becomes a critical mass,” Tanner said. “… At that point it became obvious to us that we ought to notify all our residents.”

So far this year, East Williston has seen 20 reported instances of what police call “major crimes” — such as burglary, assault and larceny — up from 12 at this point in 2014.

Berry, the Third Precinct’s commanding officer, said in most of the recent cases, the robber has entered through the back of the house in the late afternoon or early evening, when many people are not at home.

“They don’t want to be in your house long,” he said. “They’re going to get in and they’re going to get out.”

Tanner said residents are grateful to have the patrol car, which the village plans to keep around through the end of the year.

“I think people are very pleased to where they felt a little bit more safe — as safe as people can feel under the circumstances,” he said.

Berry said the Third Precinct’s burglary detectives have taken forensic evidence such as fingerprints and DNA traces from the robbed homes, but no arrests have been made. Berry could not say whether there are suspects in the cases.

Some at the meeting said the lack of available information on the crimes makes them feel uneasy and asked for police and the village to communicate as much as possible.

“I’ve been living in this village for 50 years and we’ve never had this problem,” resident Hal Cronk said.

To protect their homes from theft, Berry said, residents should leave lights on, lock all windows and doors and hide valuables in places thieves are less likely to look — under the kitchen sink, for example.

Berry also said residents should call 911 immediately if they have been robbed or if they see or hear anything suspicious.

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