Will the Village of Mineola be getting its own police force for Christmas? That's the question residents will decide on Dec. 5 when the referendum on whether Mineola should form its own police department or stay with patrols from the Nassau County Police Department's 3rd Precinct will be held.

Last Wednesday, the Village of Mineola Board of Trustees held the first of the last three meetings before the vote, and it's apparent that it's getting close to the time for residents to decide as the meeting room of village hall was filled. The Nassau County Police Department's top cop, Commissioner James Lawrence, was in attendance as was the commanding officer of the 3rd Precinct, Robert Turk. Lawrence made a statement and then fielded questions from Mayor Jack M. Martins and the board of trustees. The professionalism of the Nassau County police officers is a topic both Commissioner Lawrence and Mayor Martins agree on. They also agree they both want what's best for Mineola, but that's where their similarity of views ends.

"I think we all want the same thing - the best police service for Mineola. It's just that we might have a disagreement about how to get there," Commissioner Lawrence said.

Mayor Martins introduced the idea of the Village of Mineola having its owns police department much like the ones in neighboring villages such as Garden City. A task force of village-appointed citizens formulated first a feasibility study and then an operational report, which concluded that the village could get more police coverage for less money with its own department, a conclusion proponents of the Nassau County police dispute.

The Nassau Police Department, through the 3rd Precinct, has currently assigned to Mineola two patrol cars with two other patrol cars covering Mineola as well as other parts of the precinct. In total, Mineola receives coverage amounting to 2.92 patrol cars. In 2005, cars assigned to Mineola were assigned 10,805 calls with 7,916 calls coming from within the borders of Mineola.

In 2006, taxpayers of the village collectively paid $6,730,886.10 to the county in taxes for police patrol coverage. Said Commissioner Lawrence, "I think people are getting their money's worth but I'm always trying to improve on what we do."

Proponents of a village police department would disagree with the commissioner. The operational report figures show that salaries and benefits for 3rd Precinct officers to patrol Mineola amount to $2.7 million. Yet, the village taxpayers paid $6.7 million in 2006 leading Mayor Martins to ask the question of whether village taxpayers are getting the benefit from the amount of taxes they are paying.

However, Commissioner Lawrence argues that police district tax pays for more than salaries and benefits; it pays for the resource of having a large police force to backup the cars that are assigned to Mineola in case of emergencies. The commissioner questioned whether the size of the force provided for in the village's plan can adequately handle multiple incidents at the same time.

The operational report states that if the village was to form its own police department, it would be staffed with a commissioner/chief, two lieutenants, six sergeants and 28 police officers with five to seven cars on patrol, and a police presence at headquarters at all times. It even allows for the opportunity to institute foot patrols all for, in the first year of the department including start-up costs, $6,512,787.54. That estimate, according to the operational report, represents a worst-case scenario since the task force wanted to give a high estimate in order to give residents an idea of the most the department would cost.

However, whether residents believe the estimates in the report will be seen on Dec. 5 when they go to the polls to vote. The question residents will ask themselves is whether the village will be better served with its own department or whether the village should continue being served by the Nassau County Police 3rd Precinct. It is a simple question but for some the answer isn't so simple.

Those against a village police department have trouble believing that a village force will cost what the report states. Commissioner Lawrence doesn't believe the report accounts for enough officers for the amount of patrol it states a village force will provide. The commissioner also feels the report doesn't provide for adequate staffing in the event officers take sick leave or have to go out on disability. "I feel that the staffing they proposed is not adequate to do the things they say they're going to do," he said. "If you look at the bare minimum, staffing the four sectors and also having one police officer in headquarters, they don't have enough people just to do that."

According to Commissioner Lawrence, it's a common practice to have 6.2 officers for every post you want to fill. Using that calculation, if the village wants to have six posts filled, it would require a force of 36 officers. The operational report provides for 28.

However, the county provides 2.92 patrol cars to the Village of Mineola and therefore would require 18 officers to patrol Mineola. The Mineola Police Task Force's operational report calls for 28 officers, more than enough to provide the coverage the village currently gets from the county.

Mayor Martins said the norm for village departments is five police officers per post so that personnel provided for in the operational report is an accurate representation of the police protection the village can have. "If they [the Nassau Police] are claiming that's not enough, what are they saying about their own level of coverage? If the county was to provide us with the officers we need, we wouldn't have to look for another way of handling this, but they're basically confirming our figures," the mayor said.

Those who are for a village police department point to the fact that the police force has dwindled in recent years. The Nassau Police union, the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association (PBA) has called for the hiring of more officers in order to provide effective community policing. Commissioner Lawrence, however, points out that the Nassau Police Department has been increasing its number since January 2004. Commissioner Lawrence believes that through minimum staffing, the department still mans all its 178 posts even if officers have to be brought in on overtime. "If there's an occasion where we have a vacancy in one of those posts, I bring people in on overtime so all of those posts are covered," he said.

There appear to be several arguments for and against a village police department. The task force report points out that, with a village police force, there would be continued availability of coverage in Mineola and a stable, village-based police department would allow officers to get to know the village and its residents. The Nassau Police would argue that with a large department such as the county police department, the 3rd Precinct could deploy any number of its 25 sector cars into Mineola to cover any major incidents.

Commissioner Lawrence, as the Mineola Police Task Force points out, said the Nassau Police Department has two patrol cars assigned to Mineola and then two patrol cars that cover a portion of Mineola. "Then you have the other 21units within the 3rd Precinct and then the entire department as backup for everything that occurs in Mineola. With a smaller department, you just don't have that kind of backup," he said.

However, cars can also be pulled out of the village to handle a major incident in another community, although Commissioner Lawrence believes that patrol cars are sent into Mineola more often than they are sent out. Some feel the village would be better served with having a department that concentrates all its efforts in Mineola.

Some residents believe the village establishing its own police force is an excellent idea. Mineola Civic Association President Bill Urianek said he has lived in the village for 53 years and says the operation report is the best report he has seen in his years in the village.

Mineola Chamber of Commerce Past President Peter Gollobin said the Mineola Chamber of Commerce Executive Board is in favor of the village starting its own police force.

However, whether the village should have its own police is an issue residents seemed divided on. Some feel if the village starts its own force, costs would spiral out of control, as they don't necessarily believe in the figures in the operational report.

Resident Cedric Brown said the task force has painted a rosy picture of the proposed village police force. Brown asked if it's such a good idea, why aren't more villages doing it?

Whether you agree or disagree with a village police force, Dec. 5 will certainly be a critical day in the 100-year anniversary of Mineola. The next hearing will be held on Monday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at village hall, 155 Washington Avenue.