I am a retired police lieutenant, having served the Port Washington Police District and the community for twenty years. Although I have been retired for some time now, I still have close personal ties with many members of the Police District. Some of the police officers that I served with are still with the District. I have also become acquainted with many of the fine young men and women who have become police officers since my retirement.

I feel compelled to write this letter because I am disturbed about the morale of our police officers. I feel very strongly that the residents of this community should be aware of how demoralized and frustrated some of our officers have become.

Having been a supervisor, I studied the principles of supervision and administration. Make no mistake about it; poor morale has a direct impact on productivity, personal appearance, attendance, loyalty, mental attitude, and the will to achieve. I'm sure that any successful CEO or administrator would agree that politics, favoritism and harassment are all counter-productive and serve no purpose other than to lower morale or achieve personal gain for a select few. On occasion I have had the opportunity to speak with various police officers and it is apparent that although they are still dedicated to serving this community, their spirit has been broken. Some of them have even stated that they wish Nassau County Police would take over in Port Washington. Not to put down the county police department, but I would say, that's morale at its lowest.

I would also like to comment on the removal of Det. Lt. DeMeo, a very competent, professional police supervisor, from command of the Detective Division. Why was he removed from a position he was so well qualified for? If it was not dirty politics then I wish those who were responsible for this deplorable action would respond with a sound reason for their decision.

The poor morale within the police district is not solely due to the situation regarding Det. Lt. DeMeo, unfortunately many officers are afraid to comment or discuss the harassment and political maneuvering within the department. With this said, I commend Officer Stephen Cardillo, President of the Port Washington PBA for his courage in attempting to inform the community about the conflicts within the department. In his letter to the editor of November 11, 1999, Det. Cardillo made mention of the new position of deputy chief. What is the justification for this new position? Does the Port Washington Police District warrant a captain, deputy chief and a chief? I think not, and the residents of Port Washington need a sound explanation for the creation of this position, and will it be eliminated in the event the deputy chief is promoted to chief. If so, then the position was unwarranted in the first place, and may have been politically motivated.

With the election of John Maura to police commissioner there could be a light at the end of the tunnel. John has stated to me that he is not a politician, but rather a businessman and concerned resident whose only agenda if elected is to manage the business affairs and address the serious morale problem within the police district. To restore integrity to our police district the citizens of Port Washington needs John Maura.

If the residents of this community appreciate the dedicated police officers who serve them, then they should show their support by electing John Maura as Port Washington's next police commissioner

Lt. John Salerno, retired