Vote on Nassau Precinct Merger Postponed

Monday's legislative vote to merge Nassau police precincts under County Executive Ed Mangano's new  has been postponed one week, according to both county and police union officials.

The plan would turn two precincts which Glen Cove works closely with, the Second and Sixth, into new Community Policing Centers. A Glen Cove police spokesman said last month that it is unclear what effect the changes might have.

Both the county and Nassau Police Benevolent Association said the vote was postponed in an attempt to find "common ground" in regards to the potential precinct merger.

"Law enforcement unions and I negotiated throughout the weekend.  Discussions were progressive," Mangano told Patch. "Accordingly, the vote will be recessed for one week."

PBA President Jim Carver said that his organization sat down with the county last week and believes they will get together again today, along with the Superior Officers Association (SOA) and the Nassau Detectives' Association (DAI).

"Maybe there's resolution that we can find," Carver told Patch. "... This was just [a way] to slow everything down and give us a little time to see if we can find some common ground here. And if we can't? We can't."

Carver had  that the county was not giving enough thought to the merger and was rushing into something that he believed could negatively change policing for the next 50 years.

Nassau Democrats have said they will block the vote on the current plan, however Republicans hold a 10-9 majority in the legislature.

Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said in a statement, "I am glad that County Executive Mangano is trying to work with us on this important issue. I am confident that we will be able to take a bipartisan approach to come up with a plan that all sides agree on that will ensure the safety of all of the residents of Nassau county, while also producing substantive savings."

The vote will now tentatively take place on Monday, March 5.