Nassau Precinct Realignment Faces Potential Delays

The third of four mergers within Nassau County's police precincts may have to wait a little longer.

The realignment between the Fourth and Fifth Precincts was initially scheduled for Sept. 1, but now faces a "weeks-long delay" due to a potential overcrowding issue, according to Newsday [paid link].

... the consolidated precinct's mix of prisoners, officers and other staff is expected to be too crowded for the existing Hewlett building. So the department plans to install a modular building for added office space for supervisors, said First Deputy Commissioner Thomas Krumpter.

The Fifth Precinct, based out of Elmont, will be absorbed by the Fourth Precinct in Hewlett when the merger is completed.

Jim Carver, president of the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association (PBA), said that the issue of overcrowding should have been seen ahead of time due to the amount of activity at the Fifth Precinct.

"Personally, I don't know how they didn't see it coming," Carver said. "... I believe that Commissioner [Thomas] Dale didn't do his due dilligence in finding out if this would have worked or not worked."

Carver initially told Patch after the mergers were first announced that the county was "taking 10 pounds of crime and putting it in a 5-pound bag." He told Newsday earlier this week, that the same bag is now down to 2 pounds.

"The Fifth and First Precincts cover higher arrest locations where the station houses are utilized probably more than any other station houses," he added.

The aforementioned First Precinct in Baldwin is still on scheduled to absorbed by the Seventh Precinct in Seaford on Nov. 1, but a "modular building" -- like the one being built for the Fourth Precinct -- is expected to be installed to deal with the hightened activity of the First Precinct.

According to Newsday:

The modular buildings, permanent installations with foundations, cost about $150,000 each and measure about 1,300 square feet, said police department spokesman Insp. Kenneth Lack.

The first realignment was completed on May 1 when the Eighth Precinct in Levittown was absorbed by the Second Precinct in Woodbury. The Third Precinct in Williston Park absorbed the Sixth Precinct in Manhasset back on July 1.