After some confusion, it appears the new Civic Association has nominated and established an interim board to re-establish the civic association. They intend to hold proper elections at some later date by the constitution and by laws.
The reason given for not having the proper nominations prior to the meeting and a paper ballot vote was the immediate need for a security patrol. A few proposal were shared at the meeting. RoslynCountryClub.org acquired some related data on the issue the security patrol is set to address. It remains unclear if the proposals are going forward.
The next meeting should be announced in due time.
These are the minutes from January 26, 2023 meeting:
After some local concern expressed about a “drastic” increase in crime in the Roslyn Country Club neighborhood, and a quasi-reestablishment of the Civic Association to fund a local patrol, there was a lack of actual data regarding this “drastic” increase in crime. Other than one local news report where a group stole a Canada Goose jacket from an unlocked car and quickly detained, there wasn’t much to go on but word of mouth. RoslynCountryClub.org requested the blue-collar crime data related to auto thefts from the Nassau County Police Department.
These are the results they provided:
STOLEN CARS
UNLOCKED W/ KEYS LEFT INSIDE
BURGLARY & STOLEN CAR
TOTAL STOLEN AUTO
2020
8
7
0
8
2021
4
3
0
4
2022
16
16
2
18
2023 (January)
0
0
0
0
Total
28
26
2
30
ROSLYN HEIGHTS STOLEN AUTO (1/1/2020 – 2/6/2023) IN THE VICINITY OF ROSLYN COUNTRY CLUB
Make of Vehicle
# Stolen
BMW
9
MERCEDES-BENZ
5
LAND/RANGE ROVER
3
LEXUS
2
ALFA ROMEO
2
AUDI
2
PORSCHE
2
CADILLAC
1
MASERATI
1
ACURA
1
TOYOTA
1
HONDA
1
As it turns out, the vast majority of stolen cars are the result of the cars being unlocked with the keys left inside. This appears to have created a welcoming environment for thieves to acquire BMWs and Mercedes Benz. It inspiring some to look into windows to look for keys resulting in two burglaries. By creating such an environment, that trend has increased throughout this past year.
Would patrol vehicles help prevent this? Most familiar with the effectiveness of private patrols cars seem lukewarm, at best. Perhaps there is a chance that would be a deterrent. But with more than 10 miles of streets in the Roslyn Country Club neighborhood, it seems unlikely one or two patrol cars would be a significant deterrent.
Privately monitored security surveillance systems costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to install, with ongoing costs. Would this help? Maybe, but without forming a village to ensure tax revenue, raising the money and keeping it funded would be a massive undertaking that seems unlikely to be sustainable.
Perhaps a community networked surveillance camera system would provide us the ability to monitor those in the neighborhood to look out for those checking for unlocked door handles. But this would require someone to be up and watching the cameras in these early morning hours. With 700 houses with around 3000 residents, there is no doubt some in the neighborhood are awake, but would they volunteer to watch security cameras or respond to notifications? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
But is catching a few criminals better than using common sense to protect valuable property?
Maybe we could create a community patrol to walk around the neighborhood and check that luxury cars are locked. We could provide jackets or vests to signify they are community patrol as to not worry residents.
If all the cars were locked and keys are not left visible from front windows — if we take on the responsibility ourselves to keep our property secure — it seems likely that the thieves would eventually move on and go to other neighborhoods that are less united in our mutual desire for a safe neighborhood.
The Civic Association appears to be trying to resurrect itself. There is a meeting scheduled for January 26 @ 7pm at our firehouse in Albertson. It’s very walkable with clear sidewalks; a nice walk, depending on the weather. About 2500 or so steps. GrillMark and Vincent’s are just a bit further; both should be open at the conclusion of the meeting.
The announcement says: “You will help elect leaders & join subcommittees during the meeting.” along with hearing proposals for new Copstat-type security patrol cars.
AGENDA: Revival of the Civic Association, Mobile Security Patrol and Community Safety.
Reminder: Roslyn Country Club houses are already paying the vast majority of county taxes to the police, contrary to several of our neighboring communities that have their own village police forces.