Crime rates in the Town of Southampton are slightly lower than they were this time last year, according to Police Chief Steven Skrynecki, who credits the drop to new ways to track crime and an increased effort for police to be involved in the community.Chief Skrynecki, who took the reins of the department in May, said the trend was not overly dramatic to begin with, but since implementing strategies he brought with him from Nassau County, where he capped more than four decades of service as chief of department, the department has seen a solid drop in some crimes committed in Southampton.For example, between January 1, 2017, and September 20, 2017, the department saw 17 burglaries in places other than homes, compared to 36 during the same period last year, a nearly 53 percent drop. Also, during that period, the department saw 49 residential burglaries compared to 73 the year before, a 33 percent drop. Rapes during that period went from 10 to eight, and criminal sexual acts went from nine to eight. The number of robberies in town was consistent both years, at seven, and there were no murders either year.“These are numbers that the police department, under the direction of Chief Skrynecki, should be proud of,” Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said.The drop in crime is being credited to a newly implemented intelligence-led policing system, which Chief Skrynecki said focuses around the concept that the majority of crime is committed by a small percentage of people. “Most people in the community are abiding by the law and are not a problem,” he said.Chief Skrynecki said new technology and reporting tools track crime on a daily basis, allowing the department to look at immediate trends to better predict where future crimes might occur, and then put police officers in trouble spots.By following the patterns and putting officers where the crime is going up, Chief Skrynecki said, the department is going to get better results.“This is the beginning, and I expect as time goes on we will become more proficient,” he said. “We are all pleased at the results so far, and encouraged by it.”Another thing the department has stepped up is its community involvement, allowing officers to be more engaged where crime is taking place. Chief Skrynecki said members of his department are attending community meetings and encouraging leaders to share information about individuals who pose a threat to the community.“People in the community know more about what is going on in the community than we do,” Chief Skrynecki said. “One of the things these analysts reveal is that every community in the town has its own unique crime issues.”He explained that crimes seen in Flanders and Riverside, where drugs and gangs are a concern, might be different from crimes in Bridgehampton, where there are issues with traffic and the occasional burglary.Chief Skrynecki said a blanket solution does not exist for an area as big and diverse as the Town of Southampton. Therefore, he finds out what the problems are, addresses those problems and “puts the cops on the dots.”“Keeping crime in check is a constant battle,” Chief Skrynecki said. “It’s really a matter of paying attention to what’s happening and analyzing why.“We’re looking to take advantage of data and analytics as much as possible, and still have a distance to go, but so far I am pleased,” he added.
Greg Wehner on Oct 18, 2017