MASTIC BEACH – The Mastic branch of the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Public Library is getting increased police presence after the branch closed its general services in favor of a “programs only” schedule due to crime and vagrancy.
Last week, Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) issued a statement saying, “Continued reports of drug dealing, prostitution, violence, and vandalism at and near this location have created an environment that has undermined the library’s ability to safely serve the community as it was intended.”
Library trustees said they have been dealing with people using the library’s computers to initiate drug deals, while vagrants have been seen changing clothes or relieving themselves outside on the sidewalk. The open smoking of marijuana is also a consistent problem.
On Thursday afternoon, County officials and law enforcement announced increased police presence directly across from the library on Neighborhood Road.
County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) said that the library needs to cooperate on giving the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) rights to trespass, evict, or arrest those whose actions undermine the library’s ability to operate. Romaine added that by next week, a police trailer will be set up across the street to monitor activity in and around the area.
“The County will increase patrols and security staffing,” said Romaine, adding that the County will also look to bolster exterior lighting in the parking lot behind the building. “I urge the library not to close any of its services and to press trespassing charges against those who act unruly.”
Romaine characterized New York’s criminal justice prerogatives as “turnstile justice,” and that “consequences” must meet actions that are “antisocial and hurt the community.”
“All of this is done with one purpose in mind, to make sure the people of Mastic Beach are safe and feel comfortable using their library.”
Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig (R-Manorville) said the trailer was originally pitched for January, but officials expedited the requests, not just for the library, but for the community at large.
SCPD Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the added police presence will be in the area “indefinitely.” The SCPD had added a foot patrol route for the summer months, which will be reinstated “for the foreseeable future.” He added, however, that major crimes are down in the area, but vagrancy problems remain. There will be a “zero tolerance” approach to anything that occurs in the “immediate vicinity of the library.”
Senator Murray said the continued reports of crime and quality-of-life issues stem from Albany’s soft-on-crime approach. He lambasted cashless bail, Raise the Age, and the Less is More Act.
“For anybody thinking that the police weren’t here already, think again. They were here; they were doing their job,” said Murray. “All of these pro-criminal laws make their jobs harder.”
Murray repeated his years-long calls for the State to give judges more discretion in handling cases, particularly by examining past criminal records and dangerousness of suspects.
“What is it going to mean to the community if this person is released? Will they continue to break the law?”
Catalina said the laws are “frustrating” for both law enforcement and the community.
“Oftentimes, arrests are made and people are back out on the street in pretty much no time with a desk appearance ticket and [are] back to doing some of the same things they were doing.”
Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) agrees with Murray’s characterizations. He added that it further harangues Mastic Beach’s progress towards revitalization, primarily the Neighborhood Road Revitalization Area that seeks to transform the Neighborhood Road corridor into a proper, walkable downtown.
“There’s a lot of vacancy right now because the Beechwood project is going forward. The bids came back on the sewage treatment plant,” said Panico, adding that the Beechwood project has shifted to include more owner-occupied residences.
“There is an air of lawlessness that is pervasive in New York State that needs to change. If we are going to live in a civil society, a safe society together, the laws must be upheld. And the people of Suffolk County, the elected officials of Suffolk County, namely Brookhaven Town, stand against the tide of absurdity to those who would say, reduce the laws, close the jails. We live in a society where right is called wrong and wrong is called right.”
A 70-year resident of Mastic Beach said that vagrancy hurts community services and businesses alike.
“Any night, there’s four or five guys hanging out in front of the hair-cutting place [across the street from the library,” the resident told The Messenger. “Any time of day or night, there’s people smoking pot, drinking. It goes on all over the place.”
The resident said he wants more done about the illegal riding of motorcycles and that people “do whatever they want.”
“It’s like a lawless town. When I was a kid, we used to ride our bikes down this street. Now, you look your doors when you go down Neighborhood Road.”
He is optimistic, however, that the police trailer across from the library will help.
“They should have done it ten years ago. I just hope they look out of the trailer both ways, not just across the street.”
Library directors said that they issue bans on people using the library’s computers to facilitate drug deals. They said they bring complaints to the police department, but that their hands are often tied due to the structure of the State laws.
“They’re doing the best they can,” said Trustee Chris Ricciardi.
The trustees said that about once a week they issue bans for people refusing to leave, entering the building “smelling like marijuana,” and other “Inappropriate behaviors.”
“We’re not closing. All we did was change the hours to close at 5:00p.m. instead of 7:00p.m. and change it to a program set,” said Ricciardi. “We’re going to work with everyone.” The trustees cautioned that since the branch opened four years ago, they have seen a 40% decrease in computer usage, but that might be more correlated to the main branch in Shirley having reopened just last year.
The library is also altering their space to accommodate more programs as per community demand.
This is a developing story.
