Policing the Station (Visit the Cablevision Editorials website at cveditorials/LI) They marched to Huntington’s town hall, looking for answers in the brutal slaying of teenager Maggie Rosales. The tone of their angry questions revealed their disappointment in what they heard. They heard Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone reassure them that Rosales’ murderer would be arrested. And last week Suffolk prosecutors indicted a young neighborhood resident, Adam Saalfield in the horrendous stabbing. So give credit to Bellone and Chief of Detectives James Burke for coming to Huntingtons town hall to outline police efforts to solve four recent murders in the Station. They also detailed aggressive enforcement efforts--deploying a task force to investigate trouble spots and stepped-up patrols--some by bicycle--in Huntington Station. But residents remain disappointed because the county continues to resist their continuing demands for a physical police presence at an annex in Huntington Station. But now Huntington’s town board is moving to establish its own police presence in the Station, deploying town public safety officers to an office there. More important, the town has contracted with a former high-ranking Suffolk police officer, Dominick Varrone, to be its liaison to Suffolks Second Precinct that covers Huntington Station. Are these moves merely symbolic? Or could they portend moves to revive the towns own police department? In the 1950s Huntington and four other western towns disbanded their police departments, agreeing to be taxed by the county to establish a new county police force. Much of course has changed since then. What hasn’t changed is the abiding disappointment of Huntington residents in learning that only county government can effectively address dangers on their streets. Presented by Peter Kohler November 11, 2014
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 13:00:00 +0000
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