Collaboration is extremely important to achieve effective public safety. Law enforcement agencies must work together, they must work closely with the public that they service, as well as with other municipal agencies to attain the best results. Utilizing technology effectively can also contribute greatly to optimal public safety.
Thus far this year our department has done a great job working collaboratively with our village residents, other law enforcement agencies and other departments within village government to enhance security within the village. We’ve also been leveraging technology, which has resulted in impressive results, like the stolen car arrest we made on September 7th based upon a license plate reader alert.
I’d just like to take a very brief opportunity to highlight a few items relevant to this topic.
Many of you likely saw yesterday’s post regarding the theft of mail and subsequent identity theft occurring in other communities. This morning I received input from a resident with a very useful and relevant follow up suggestion. The U.S. Postal Service offers a program called Informed Delivery. If you sign up for this free program, you will receive photos of your mail via email before it arrives at your home. This will allow you to immediately determine if any items are missing and take appropriate action to protect yourselves. That’s great input, thank you.
Informed Delivery - Mail & Package Notifications | USPS
Back in August an alert water district employee reported suspicious activity to our department regarding thefts from landscaping trucks parked within the village. This report allowed us to input information into our license plate reader system related to the vehicle involved in these thefts. Last week our license plate reader system alerted us that this vehicle was back within Old Westbury. Prompt action by the officers working that day resulted in an arrest for Grand Larceny, all due to an alert village employee and the effective use of our technology.
Finally, just a word about our Virtual Gated Community Program. We’ve received hundreds of license plate numbers thus far. Adding these plates to our LPR database allows us to make our LPR system more effective by eliminating village residents when we program our system to alert us to suspicious activity. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to participate in this worthwhile program.
In conclusion, we’re expecting bad weather tomorrow and throughout the weekend. Rest assured that the men and women of our department will be here to respond to any emergencies that may arise and to keep you all safe.