Police brass, D.A. discuss burglaries

Tips and facts at Young Israel of Woodmere forum

By Malka Eisenberg

Have a working alarm system — a loud one; don’t be a hero — if someone breaks in while you’re in the house, get out if you can. Major and minor crimes are down overall in Nassau County, and prosecutors do their best to avoid plea bargains. Those are some of the major points police officials and the Nassau County district attorney made at a forum at the Young Israel of Woodmere last week. It was intended to allay concerns about security after several high-profile burglaries in the Five Towns.

More than 200 people listened raptly in a meeting that stretched to two hours, punctuated by occasional laughter and applause. Rabbi Herschel Billet introduced the speakers and interjected commentary, opening with a brief dvar Torah.

“Burglary has been very much in the minds of a lot of people,” said Inspector John Capece, commanding officer of the Fourth Precinct, which includes the Five Towns, East Rockaway, Oceanside, Island Park, Lido Beach, Atlantic Beach and Point Lookout. “We had a couple of high-profile cases that made media attention, occupied-dwelling burglaries — a break-in when someone is there. Those are the ones we’re very concerned about.”

When someone breaks into the house when you are home, said Capece, “that is the most dangerous scenario we have in Nassau County. If you can get out, get out. If they confront you, if they have a weapon, comply with what they say. The safety of the children and yourself are the most important.  Run into the street, don’t agitate the intruder, don’t add to tension, go to a neighbor. Don’t be a hero.”

Capece defined burglary as breaking into a home and taking property. Robbery is a “physical force crime,” he said, taking property from someone physically, with or without a weapon. If someone breaks into your garage and takes a bicycle, that’s larceny, he explained.

There were 154 burglaries in the Fourth Precinct in 2009, down from 197 in 2008. 47 were in the Five Towns with seven in Woodmere, 11 in Lawrence, seven in Cedarhurst, nine in Hewlett and 13 in Inwood. In eight of the 47 cases someone was home at the time. Fourth Precinct officers made 51 arrests last year; Capece called that “pretty good in nationwide statistics.”

“I don’t want any burglaries to occur,” the precinct commander said. “Any one is too many, but we live in the real world and we try to do whatever we can to keep the rate down.”

In fact, crime in the area was down in 2009, Capece said. Nassau County tracks ten types of major crime based on a standardized model across the United States. He noted a decrease in major crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, assault and grand larceny, of 18.26 percent this past year over last year; and a decrease in minor crimes over the same period of 8.14 percent.

“We’re doing everything we can to try not to plead out and we’re seeing results,” said Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice. “More violent felons are going upstate to prison than ever before. You have a right to be safe in your homes.”

People convicted of certain crimes are required to provide a DNA sample that is entered into a DNA data bank and compared against samples gathered from other serious crimes. A “hit” is a “great way to solve a crime,” she said.  “In cases where they are not required to give DNA they are entering into plea agreements where they have to agree to give DNA. Felonies are often solved when they engage in some misdemeanor offense.”

Questions or comments? Contact Malka Eisenberg at newsroom@

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