Nassau Minority Leader Blasts Mangano Police Closure Plan
MINEOLA, NY (CBSNewYork) - Under a new plan announced by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano on Monday, four of the county's eight police precincts would close and be turned into community policing centers to save money.
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That isn't sitting well with one member of the county's legislature.
Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams says he does not see anything positive about the plan, which would mean the transformation of the precincts in Elmont, Baldwin, Levittown, and Manhasset.
"Any precinct closures, whether it be two, or now we're seeing that it's four, will not be tolerated and it's something that we will not support," he said on Tuesday.
Abrahams said that prescription drug abuse is on the rise on Long Island and driving while intoxicated is also a very big concern.
"This is not good on any level," Abrahams told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall.
Mangano said the plan will save taxpayers up to $20 million a year, eliminating over 100 desk jobs and slashing overtime costs.
Abrahams said the money is not worth sacrificing the safety of the public.
"That's one of the things that people in Nassau County value the most is their public safety. This definitely will be detrimental to the police department," Abrahams said.
Nassau County's PBA President James Carver is also against the plan to consolidate precinct houses.
He believes eliminating four of the eight precincts will result in fewer unmarked patrols which he said will make it harder for officers to prevent quality of life crimes and also create more work for officers in charge of processing suspects.
Carver also feels that if a neighborhood is lacking a station house, criminals may get the wrong impression.
"When you start tearing down a police precinct it almost gives the bad guys the impression that you've given up and that the law is no longer in your neighborhood," Carver told 1010 WINS. "That's not a good feeling for the public to have."
Majority Leader Peter Schmitt, who was not available for comment, told Newsday that he supports Mangano's plan.
