There weren't enough seats at Town Hall for all the attendees at the April 6 meeting that had been scheduled to discuss personal and home safety, youth problems and crimes within the community. Those residents who could not fit into the main hall were standing outside in the hallway as officers from the Sixth Precinct, high-ranking Nassau County police officials, and Town of North Hempstead officials addressed the crowd.

Most complaints focused on traffic. Speeding throughout Manhasset, the lack of courtesy toward pedestrians, failure of vehicles to stop at STOP signs, the use of cell phones, illegally parked vehicles and dangerous intersections were some of the issues that were brought to the attention of James Lawrence, Commissioner of Police; Jon Kaiman, Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead; Council Members Fred Pollack and Wayne Wink; and officers from the Sixth Precinct.

Police Commissioner Lawrence expressed his pleasure with the large turnout, answered questions and offered advice. He repeatedly stated that the best way to help the police enforce existing laws was for people to call the precinct or 311 and report violations of moving traffic and parking ordinances. It is essential for the population to become involved with the basic quality of life issues, he said, and it is impossible for the police to be everywhere and that is why local residents must provide the specific information regarding infractions of the law-especially with regards to traffic. If there are repeat offenders that you are aware of, he suggested, notify the Sixth Precinct because a notation is made and a record kept of every report. The police will try to randomly place patrol cars at the scenes of multiple complaints, it was said at the meeting, and they have already stepped up cell phone tickets and are currently providing an increased presence along Plandome Road.

Katie Miller and Sue Auriemma spoke on behalf of the Coalition for a Safer Manhasset. Mrs. Miller presented the results of a survey which showed that the major traffic complaints of residents concerned cell phone use, speeding and U-turns on Plandome Road. Supervisor Kaiman responded that measures for traffic calming on Plandome Road were being considered and that town officials are working with village leadership to standardize signage throughout the area and that parking tickets were on the increase. He suggested that anyone witnessing parking or speeding infractions should call 311 and the report would be passed along to the police.

There were several residents who expressed extreme frustration at parking and speeding situations that have been repeatedly reported with little effect. They were advised to keep reporting and annotating the incidents. As each person spoke, a list was compiled by the police for closer examination and action. It was also suggested by Lloyd Williams, Mayor of Plandome, that perhaps cameras could be used to supplement police presence. Commissioner Lawrence responded that there are no funds available, at this time, for the installation and maintenance of these items. He further stated that our roads were not built for today's tremendous volume of traffic. It will require changes in the traffic flow as well as continued police enforcement to ease the current situations.

After numerous residents voiced traffic concerns in specific locations, Bayview Avenue and Park Avenue were mentioned several times, the discussion moved on to the issue of home safety.

Officer Pete Churchul presented a comprehensive list of tips for homeowners to implement in order to discourage home burglaries. In view of the fact that last year there were 21 burglaries in the sixth precinct and this year there are already 40, showing a 90.48 percent increase, all homeowners should be more aware of prevention matters. These valuable hints addressed the matters of outside security, securing the points of entry into your home, securing the outside of your home, what burglars look for and how you can prevent your home from being targeted. They are all available in a booklet entitled "Make Your Home Secure; A Burglary Prevention Checklist," which is available free of charge from the Nassau County Police Department, 1490 Franklin Avenue, Mineola, NY 11501.

The officer also explained the POP unit. Every precinct has officers assigned to Problem Oriented Policing and it is their responsibility to handle such matters as unauthorized parties, under-aged drinking, education of students with visits to local high schools, etc. They can be instrumental in solving local quality of life issues.

The evening concluded with residents speaking individually to all the police officers present about problems and concerns. There will be another meeting in about two months.