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Crime & Safety

Outreach Center Up and Running in Huntington Station

Officials gathered to welcome the new Community Outreach Center on Thursday.

Huntington residents can rest a little easier this weekend, as the Community Outreach Center stands ready to help keep the peace in Huntington Station. The center opened at 5 Lowndes Ave. on Thursday to provide a location for passersby and troubled residents to report any suspicious activity. Officers on duty are readily available to handle any criminal activity that may occur, be it gang violence or housing code violations. 

"It's a place to walk in if you want to voice a complaint," said Town of Huntington's Public Information Officer A.J. Carter. "If there is an issue we should know about, we're here." 

Town Supervisor Frank Petrone added, "The best resource for us is the person who walks through the door." 

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Those present at the unveiling strongly emphasized the importance of a joint effort to deal with crime. The collaboration between the Town of Huntington and Suffolk County police will hopefully prove to be an alliance which will supply power and promptness to curb crime in the area.

"People want to see more effort between different levels of government," County Executive Steve Levy said.  "[There is now] coordination between the town and police. … We have vowed to work together."

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Present at the annex will be Ordinance Inspectors Barry Zippelius, Hector Zapata, Lisamarie Walter, and Jose Carrasquillo, Jr. which means 40 percent of code enforcement officials from the Town of Huntington are now assigned solely to Huntington Station. These members from the Department of Public Safety will be joined by an armed police officer.

Levy noted that basing a Suffolk police officer at the outreach center is part of a multi-pronged effort to further enhance police presence in Huntington Station, including increasing the hours of intensive patrols, employing 'park and walk' patrols at strip shopping centers, and increasing attention at known hot spots of criminal activity. "We are continuing our commitment to ridding the community of gangs, guns, drugs and random violence," Levy said. "Our police presence at the Outreach Center exemplifies the very visible approach we are taking to preserving the quality of life this community."

The outreach center also includes a private office where those with something to report can do so in a confidential manner. It will be open from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"It's a space to talk to people privately," Carter asserted. 

The outreach center will also house a 24-hour hotline, (631) 423-STOP (7867) for community members to call with any emergencies or concerns.  All calls will be received by officers present until 4 p.m., and will connect to security at Town Hall throughout the night and early morning.

Residents can also anonymously report incidents to http://www.savehuntingtonstation.com, another example of the new-found group efforts.

"[The site] hopefully will be a liaison between Suffolk police and the Town of Huntington also," Councilman Mark Mayoka informed those present. 

Mayoka also expressed gratitude to the Huntington Housing Authority for their role in the establishment of the outreach center. Situated in the heart of the Gateway Gardens apartment complex, the building has previous historical significance; standing since 1966 as one of President Lyndon B. Johnston's original urban renewal projects. In 2010, the building awaits the chance to make history, providing residents and officers the ability to build a new future for Huntington Station. 

The presence of the outreach center and efforts and support of those involved in its formation already seems to promise positive change for Huntington Station. 

"It is important to work as a team to accomplish what the community wants," Mayoka concluded.

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