Concannon: Three decades as volunteer cop

Richard Tedesco

When John Concannon moved from Queens to Albertson in 1982, he wanted to get involved in community service so he joined the auxiliary police department nearest to his new home at the time – in New Hyde Park.

“At that time I was looking to help out the community,” Concannon said. “Basically it’s helping people in the community and the [Nassau County] police department.”

Thirty years later, he is continuing his volunteer work as the unit’s captain and commanding officer.

And in April, the Nassau County Auxiliary Police recognized him with an award for his three decades of service, and for logging 300 hours of service in 2013 – the eighth time he has been recognized for achieving that milestone. 

“I feel as the head of the unit, I need to do a little more. That’s what being a leader is, to lead by example,” said Concannon, who has been the New Hyde Park captain since 1992 and commanding officer for the past decade.

Concannon said he is proud of the long hours he puts in on a job with no compensation save the satisfaction of doing his job, and he was pleased about being honored for his 30 years of service.

“It was very nice because you have other people in the program who can relate to it,” he said.

Two of those auxiliary policeman who could relate to what he’d done were the New Hyde Park auxiliary unit’s Sergeant John Gonser, who was honored for 20 years of service and 300 hours of annual service the same night Concannon was honored and Patrick Wallace, a recent addition to the New Hyde Park auxiliary police officer who also logged 300 hours of service last year.

“This unit is becoming stronger with more members. That makes me feel good,” Concannon said.

There are currently eight members of the New Hyde Park auxiliary police, who each put in 25 hours a week patrolling the Village of New Hyde Park and unincorporated areas of New Hyde Park as well as surrounding communities at all hours of the day and night.

Concannon said the department had 15 auxiliary officers when he joined 30 years ago under the command of Richard Stein, who is currently a commissioner in the New Hyde Park Fire District.

But, he said, attracting volunteers has become increasingly difficult over the years.

Concannon, 67, has had a bit more time to devote to his volunteer job since retiring from his full-time job of teaching Spanish and English in bilingual programs in Queens elementary schools in 2012 after 37 years.  

He said he earned a masters degree in bilingual education from St. John’s University and a masters degree in secondary education after graduating from Queens College Spanish and literature and deciding he wanted to become a teacher.

“There was great opportunity for teachers in the 1970s,” he said.

Concannon said auxiliary police officers in Nassau County are required to spend 12 hours a month on patrol and assist in two of 10 county events a year that require part-time police officers. 

Those events include the county marathon raced in May, the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival and other events, he said. 

The New Hyde Park auxiliary also assists in Town of North Hempstead events.

He said it has become standard practice in recent years for auxiliary police units to help each other with crowd and traffic control at events in communities county-wide, similar to the way fire department’s provide aid to one another in major fire emergencies.

Concannon said his New Hyde Park command also sometimes assists at fires, as it did earlier this year when an early morning fire destroyed two townhouses in Albertson.

“We do help each other. We provide mutual aid in that respect,” he said. “The scope of activities and the number of activities we cover has increased.”

But most of the time, the auxiliary police aren’t often in harm’s way.

In New Hyde Park, Concannon said the auxiliary police focus on patrolling potential problem areas such as Memorial Park and Nuzzi Park, and also cover Manhasset Hills, the Denton Green senior resident housing complex on Denton Avenue and the Bellerose area.

They’re equipped with three patrol cars provided by the county, which maintains the vehicles. 

Working closely with the 3rd Precinct, he said, the New Hyde Park auxiliary officers will help out wherever the Nassau County Police need their eyes to be, and they also work with village governments to cover local areas when problems arise.

The auxiliary officers are not empowered to make arrests or issue summonses – their primary is to observe and report any suspicious activities, Concannon said. They do carry mace, but he said, they are trained to use that only in extreme circumstances. They also carry handcuffs, although they are not authorized to use them.   

“They help with the image,” Concannon said.

Concannon and the members of his command are also trained in basic first aid and, in some cases, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in roadside emergencies.

“We’re ready to do things when we come across accidents,” he said. 

Concannon said he has spent much of his 30 years patrolling the community, keeping the Nassau County Police 3rd Precinct aware of any potentially illegal activities and offering assistance to residents who need it.

“When you put on a uniform, you wear a sign that says ‘Ask me’,” he said.

He said he’s never had to deal with any serious confrontations in the line of duty, but there are the occasional instances of citizens frustrated when events alter their normal routine.

There was an occasion a few years ago, he said, when he was posted on Herkomer Street on the day of the New Hyde Park Street Fair and an elderly woman insisted she had to drive down Jericho Turnpike.

“This is the way I go to get bagels,” she told him.

He said he patiently explained the situation and insisted that she turn her car around and take another route. But generally, Concannon said his interactions with people are amicable ones.

“I enjoy working with people,” Concannon said, adding that he has no plans to stop any time soon.

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