By Eden Laikin
Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and Police Commissioner Thomas Dale still intend to eliminate 100 costly desk jobs within the police department to help avoid a property tax increase.
Mangano’s precinct realignment proposal is expected to be approved by the County Legislature today, however, negotiations continue with police union officials about staffing levels at each new community center.
“The plan doesn’t change,” Mangano said this morning. “We’re sitting down talking – negotiations are continuing as we speak.”
Mangano and Dale’s plan includes consolidating back-room police department administrative functions now done at the 8 precincts, eliminating many of the desk jobs, transforming 4 of the precincts into community policing centers and reassigning the 48 extra officers to needed community patrols.
Proponents of the plan say nobody could argue with the fact that “100 less paychecks saves residents from higher taxes.” They contend that a certain few have used “scare tactics and childish methods to fool the public” into believing otherwise.
“Some people just didn’t understand what was going on and was fooled by distortions,” Mangano said. “We’re trying to get correct and clear information out there. We’re trying to partner with the police unions so the real facts are out there.”
Mangano said he’s had “good progressive talks over the past week with the police unions.”
