Nassau County Begins Consolidating Police Precincts

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The Levittown Police Precinct will be turned into a community policing center this week as part of Nassau County's controversial plan to shutter four of its eight police precincts.

The process of folding the 8th Precinct in Levittown into the 2nd Precinct in Woodbury began over the weekend.

The 1st Precinct in Baldwin, 5th Precinct in Elmont, 6th Precinct in Manhasset will also become community policing centers.

1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan reports

The centers will have up to 10 officers on duty — including supervisors, detectives, and both desk and response officers — but will not handle arrests.

The 2nd Precinct in Woodbury, 3rd Precinct in Williston Park, 4th Precinct in Hewlett and 7th Precinct in Seaford will remain open and operate as usual.

Nassau County Police Benevolent Association President Jim Carver said the plan, voted on by the legislature along party lines, didn't have popular support.

"The legislature, in my opinion, took a vote before they had any facts on how this was going to be implemented. To me that was wrong," Carver said. "There should've been more public meetings, more transparency."

WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs reports

Carver said the conversion is not going as smoothly as was promised thanks to a lack of communication and leadership on the part of the administration.

County Executive Ed Mangano said the plan will save $20 million annually.

The consolidation is expected to be complete by November.

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