This year, the crime problem has popped up as a significant issue in the Roslyn area, especially in the Village of East Hills. In fact, that village included the formation of its own security force in its 2002-2003 budget. Summer is when people take vacations. It is also when crime concerns are usually at their highest.

A rise in residential burglaries has been the major crime concern. Beginning in early June, there have been seven robberies this summer, plus one robbery attempt that was foiled by a local homeowner and another that was apparently called off.

Roslyn Heights was hit with two burglaries on Tuesday, June 4, with one taking place at a residence on Elm Street and the other happened at Michael's Shoe Repair on Mineola Avenue. According to police, burglars entered the rear door during the residential burglary, while they smashed glass at the front door of the shoe store in order to gain entry.

Another string of burglaries took place during the third week of June, all of them in East Hills. Burglaries were reported in residences on Friday, June 14, Saturday, June 15, and Tuesday, June 18. All the burglaries took place during either the afternoon or evening hours. Again, the entries took place at either the back door or back window locations.

The Village of Flower Hill suffered its lone residential burglary between Thursday, June 27 and Thursday, July 4, when the homeowners presumably were on vacation. According to police, entry was gained through a garage door with damage being done to the alarms in the house and to the heater vents. The most recent East Hills residential burglary happened on July 4. Following a familiar pattern, the burglars entered through the rear door and committed the crime in the early evening hours.

On Tuesday, June 18, when a burglary took place on Chestnut Drive in East Hills, an attempted burglary was reported at a residence on Palm Court in the same village. A basement window was opened, but no entry was made. The burglary that failed took place on Friday, June 28 at Bayberry Ridge in Flower Hill. On that day, the homeowner saw two strange men in her backyard. She then went to the window and saw them cut out the telephone line, as they prepared for further criminal activity. However, the burglars saw the homeowner watching them and they immediately fled.

In that case, all it took was the appearance of a homeowner to scare off would-be burglaries. Last winter, when the burglary problem became apparent to local residents, Nassau County officials held town forums in both East Hills and Roslyn Heights to advise concerned homeowners. There, they said the crime problem had increased since the terrorist attacks of September 2001. They also said it coincided with the slowdown in the general economy and the fact that Nassau County has had to establish a freeze in police hirings.

As a form of deterrence, homeowners should keep valuables such as jewelry and loose bills out of the master bedroom and into such rooms as the basement, places where burglars generally fear to tread. In addition, homeowners should keep front yard shrubbery low so burglars cannot make their way to the front door. A canine is a most reliable form of deterrence and if homeowners don't have a dog, they should, for example, have a dog bowl visible in the backyard, so as to deter would-be burglars. As noted, breaking into a rear entrance is the way most burglars operate. Finally, police advise homeowners to call 911 to report any suspicious sightings.