1980's
By the late 1970's Memorial Park had become a popular place for youths to congregate. Any evening, dozens of adolescents could be found there, and it had become a problem. Illegal drug use was prevalent and residents wanted action to be taken to address the issue. One summer evening in 1981, Floral Park Police, assisted by undercover Nassau County Police narcotics officers, took action, making over a dozen arrests. Within a few years the park was rehabilitated and with constant vigilance, the problem has never returned to the degree of that time.
By 1983, activity was reaching its pinnacle. Officers responded to 7,745 calls for service, of these, there were 591 criminal cases reported, including 180 larcenies, 34 auto larcenies, 98 burglaries, and 17 robberies, reported to the Floral Park Police Department. There were 278 arrests made that year. Police responded to 282 motor vehicle accidents and issued 2,218 summonses for violations of traffic law.
Around the stationhouse, the communications center that was state-of-the-art technology in 1958 was replaced with a multi-line telephone system, and most of the telephone callboxes were removed from their locations around the village. The old L-shaped desk had been torn down and replaced with a larger square desk area.
Chief McCarthy retired in 1984 and was succeeded by Police Commissioner Benjamin Kilichowski. After public debate, the rank of Police Chief was replaced with the position of Police Commissioner. The requirements for the commanding officer of the Floral Park Police Department had been altered and allowed for the village to appoint a member from within the department who had achieved, at least, the rank of Sergeant.
In the 1980's, New York City was still experiencing a growth in violent crime that was unprecedented. Nationally, crime was on the rise in most urban areas. By the end of the decade, the philosophy of "Community Policing", a collaboration between the police department and community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems, was replacing the "Professional Model", where the focus was primarily upon response times to crimes in progress and service calls, and visibility of patrol. Where the Professional Model was reactive, Community Policing was proactive. Community Policing used as a framework "Broken Windows Theory" developed by Professors James Wilson and George Kelling. This theory states that as a broken window on a building left unattended would lead to additional broken windows on that building as it signaled that nobody cared, so too does leaving elements of disorder left unchecked lead to more significant crimes. Therefore quality-of-life issues, such as disorderly conduct, public urination, open container violations, and graffiti should be actively addressed.
Where New York City was not able to bring its crime problem under control until the 1990's, Floral Park, which never had a problem that was out control, had already begun to see a decline in criminal activity through the 1980's. To a large degree this can be attributed to the fact that the Floral Park Police Department had through its history employed many of the tactics that were consistent with the model of Community Policing. As noted many times through its history "the Floral Park Police Department believes in a potent ounce of prevention" and the concerns of the citizenry were actively addressed.
By the late 1970's Memorial Park had become a popular place for youths to congregate. Any evening, dozens of adolescents could be found there, and it had become a problem. Illegal drug use was prevalent and residents wanted action to be taken to address the issue. One summer evening in 1981, Floral Park Police, assisted by undercover Nassau County Police narcotics officers, took action, making over a dozen arrests. Within a few years the park was rehabilitated and with constant vigilance, the problem has never returned to the degree of that time.
By 1983, activity was reaching its pinnacle. Officers responded to 7,745 calls for service, of these, there were 591 criminal cases reported, including 180 larcenies, 34 auto larcenies, 98 burglaries, and 17 robberies, reported to the Floral Park Police Department. There were 278 arrests made that year. Police responded to 282 motor vehicle accidents and issued 2,218 summonses for violations of traffic law.
Around the stationhouse, the communications center that was state-of-the-art technology in 1958 was replaced with a multi-line telephone system, and most of the telephone callboxes were removed from their locations around the village. The old L-shaped desk had been torn down and replaced with a larger square desk area.
Chief McCarthy retired in 1984 and was succeeded by Police Commissioner Benjamin Kilichowski. After public debate, the rank of Police Chief was replaced with the position of Police Commissioner. The requirements for the commanding officer of the Floral Park Police Department had been altered and allowed for the village to appoint a member from within the department who had achieved, at least, the rank of Sergeant.
In the 1980's, New York City was still experiencing a growth in violent crime that was unprecedented. Nationally, crime was on the rise in most urban areas. By the end of the decade, the philosophy of "Community Policing", a collaboration between the police department and community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems, was replacing the "Professional Model", where the focus was primarily upon response times to crimes in progress and service calls, and visibility of patrol. Where the Professional Model was reactive, Community Policing was proactive. Community Policing used as a framework "Broken Windows Theory" developed by Professors James Wilson and George Kelling. This theory states that as a broken window on a building left unattended would lead to additional broken windows on that building as it signaled that nobody cared, so too does leaving elements of disorder left unchecked lead to more significant crimes. Therefore quality-of-life issues, such as disorderly conduct, public urination, open container violations, and graffiti should be actively addressed.
Where New York City was not able to bring its crime problem under control until the 1990's, Floral Park, which never had a problem that was out control, had already begun to see a decline in criminal activity through the 1980's. To a large degree this can be attributed to the fact that the Floral Park Police Department had through its history employed many of the tactics that were consistent with the model of Community Policing. As noted many times through its history "the Floral Park Police Department believes in a potent ounce of prevention" and the concerns of the citizenry were actively addressed.