Bellport, NY – Suffolk Executive Steve Levy and Police Commissioner Richard Dormer this morning announced the formation of a special roaming unit that will patrol high-activity parks and downtowns in the evening hours during the summer.

The flexible six-officer unit will be on patrol from Tuesdays through Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 2 p.m. and rotate between various locations throughout the county’s seven precincts on a nightly basis.

“This unit will serve to heighten our police presence in hot-spot areas and to provide a safe environment for our residents who are utilizing our parks, community centers and high-activity downtowns during the summer months,” said Levy.

“This type of rotating unit allows us to provide concentrated enforcement that complements local precinct patrols and town enforcement efforts,” Dormer added.

The team will concentrate on high-activity parks during the early part of the shift, and then deploy to downtown villages once the parks close (typically at 9 or 10 p.m.). The centralized unit will be able to be deployed to parks and villages experiencing high-activity or hosting special events, including (but not limited to):

First Precinct:
Bowben Mack Park (N Amityville)
Tanner Park (Copiague)
Phelps Lane (N Babylon)
Giger Park (Wheatley Heights)
Herman Grimm
Wyandanch Park
Babylon Village

Second Precinct:
Ostego Park (Dix Hills)
Huntington Village
Northport Village

Third Precinct:
Timberline Park
Brentwood Soccer Fields
Bay Shore Village
Islip Village

Fourth Precinct:
Smithtown Village

Fifth Precinct:
Martha Avenue Park (Bellport)
Patchogue Village
Sayville Village

Sixth Precinct:
Race Avenue Park (Medford)
Rocketship Park  (Port Jefferson)
Port Jefferson Village

Seventh Precinct:
Kaler Pond Park (Center Moriches)
Grandview Park (Shirley)
Mastic-Mastic Beach

Under the Levy administration, statistics maintained by the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Suffolk Police Department show that overall crime has decreased by 17.5% from 2003 (the year before Levy took office) to 2009 (the last complete year of data). This includes an 11% decrease in Part I Index crimes (murder/manslaughter; forcible rape; robbery; aggravated assault; burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft) and a 20.5% decrease in Part II crimes.

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