Roslyn area residents continue to express concern over the crime issue and how it might affect their neighborhoods. The Roslyn Heights Civic Association recently held their own public meeting on the subject. Inspector George Morrish of the Nassau County's 6th Precinct addressed the meeting and gave some sobering news that itself was similar to what he had relayed to a meeting held last March in the Village of East Hills, namely the local crime rate has increased significantly in recent years.

The crime that concerns local residents the most is residential burglaries. Civic association members were told that most burglars like to get the crime done in a time space of 30 seconds or less. This means knocking on the door, and if no one is home, kicking the door down, while making a quick dash to the master bedroom. In addition, there is a more sophisticated group of burglars, which likes to shorten out the alarm system while robbing the house.

The crime problem is not as pronounced in Roslyn Heights as it is in, say, East Hills, said Civic Association President Chris Cavalleri. Still, Nassau County police department officials have offered to assist the civic association in helping them to set up their own community watch to keep the crime situation at bay. Mr. Cavelleri said civic association members are considering the idea. Councilman Wayne Wink of the Town of North Hempstead also attended the meeting. Unlike other villages in the Roslyn area, Roslyn Heights has no mayor or board of trustees. Its governance is under the jurisdiction of the Town of North Hempstead.

Reported burglaries in both January and February of this year first alerted residents to a possible burglary problem in the area. The week from Jan. 1 to Jan. 8, for instance, saw four residential burglaries in the Roslyn area. That was followed by three more burglaries in the space of two days alone, Jan. 10 and Jan. 11. Those break-ins occurred in East Hills and Roslyn Heights, plus Glen Head and Greenvale, neighborhoods that sit on the periphery of the Roslyn area.

Despite increased awareness by local residents to the problem, reported burglaries since late February to mid-May have continued. During that time period, the 6th Precinct has reported five residential burglaries in East Hills. In addition, there have been four residential and one commercial burglaries in Glen Head, while only one residential burglary in Greenvale. Roslyn Heights has seen four reported burglaries, two residential, one business, and the other a street robbery of one individual by another. All four took place within five days of each other in the first and second weeks of March.

There have been two residential burglaries in Flower Hill, and one burglary each in Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, and the Village of Roslyn. The Roslyn Harbor break-in took place at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, proving that even houses of worship are not immune from burglaries. Breaking things down even further, March saw the most burglaries, with 14 of them reported. There were only three in April and two in May, a statistic that leads to some cautious optimism.

At the big public meeting held in East Hills, police officials urged residents to practice forms of deterrence, including keeping the front yard shubbery low as a way to keep burglars from sneaking to the front door. They should also keep the always-reliable canine on their property, and if they do not own a dog, residents should keep materials in their back yard, such as a dog bowl, to make would-be burglars think a dog is on the premises. Since burglars, upon breaking into a house, head straight to the bedroom, residents should keep their jewelry and other valuables in the basement, a place where burglars don't like to tread.

Mayor Michael R. Koblenz also said that crime had been on the increase since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. One reason for the uptick in burglaries, he added, is due to the fact that there have been layoffs in the ranks of the Nassau County police department. Burglars, who consider themselves professionals, read about such layoffs and are emboldened to go back into practice, he said.

In its 2002-2003 budget, the Village of East Hills tackled the burglary problem by creating its own security force, foregoing the outside contractor route. The new security force, Mayor Koblenz said, would be better trained, more devoted, and more cost effective than outside contractors. The new force will include up to 20 full-time employees who themselves will monitor the village, while working closely with the 6th Precinct whenever any suspicious activities occur.