Police Commissioner Visits

He gave a fairly comprehensive talk on the critical law enforcement issues in the County, The most serious problems he covered were opiod drug addiction, gang violence, highway safety, and homeland security.

 

Commissioner Sini emphasized the importance of community outreach, and of forming cooperative relationships with community service groups such as Rotary. He cited some of the crime reduction statistics resulting from recent police department initiatives, and outlined how the department is working to lower crime even further.

 

Much of his talk dealt with the opiod drug problem, which he said is the biggest challenge facing society and law enforcement today. There are a great many programs, activities and organizations focused on the drug problem. These, together with coordination between counties, social agencies and law enforcement, yielded several success stories about foiling major drug dealers and networks, and effective education, prevention and treatment programs. Despite this however, opioid drug addiction seems to defy abatement, and all efforts must be strengthened continuously to cope with the problem.

 

Mr Sini explained the origin and evolution of the violent gang MS-13 on Long Island, its geographical concentrations, and of the measures the Suffolk County Police are taking to identify, locate and eliminate them. The County has undertaken a vigorous initiative, in conjunction with government agencies, to round up and arrest gang members. The police have made significant progress in this effort, but the gang population is continually replenished with new, young, immigrant recruits from Central America.

 

Although the gang problem will not go away anytime soon, law enforcement efforts are showing positive results through reduced overall crime statistics in the areas where gangs are centered.

 

Time constraints prevented the Commissioner from giving much detail about the department’s work in traffic safety and homeland security. He did however, give a brief outline of their efforts to deal with impaired, distracted and reckless drivers, and advancements in traffic modeling and improved roadway design. Mr. Sini concluded with a lively Q&A session.

 

Commissioner Sini is shown above with Babylon Rotary President Megan Noble.