In January, the Nassau and Suffolk counties police departments, the New York City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation formed a task force designed to tackle burglaries and thefts across Long Island. The collaboration, “a multijurisdictional burglary and stolen car task force,” as described by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R) at the conference announcement in January, is the result of criminals crossing county and state lines.
In Suffolk, 1,471 vehicles were reported stolen in 2022, up 20.8% from the 1,218 taken in 2021 — the most since nearly 1,600 cars and trucks were swiped in 2010, Newsday reports.
At a recent civic meeting in Port Jefferson Station, Suffolk County Police Department provided a COPE report from Jan. 23 to Feb. 27 for the respective area. Officier Efstathiou provide the report stating, “Out of the four grand larcenies [for this area] two were related to stolen vehicles. A Honda and a Hyundai right out of one’s driveway and one in front of one’s house both with no keys. Both still not recovered.”
In September 2022, Hochul announced a five-step plan to combat the increasing numbers of car thefts across New York.
“Too many New Yorkers have experienced the shock of waking up to an empty driveway … that is why we are supporting local law enforcement to prosecute and prevent these thefts,” she said.
Last month Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) reported that the DMV recovered 286 vehicles worth $8.6 million in 2023 under the Comprehensive Auto-Theft Reduction Strategy. A total of 142 were recovered in New York City and 42 on Long Island.
Kias and Hyundais are mainly being targeted, Hochul announced in September. After videos exposing how to steal these cars started circulating on social media, Hyundais and Kias remain most vulnerable. However, both companies have developed upgrades to offset the thefts.
“There was a big spike … a lot of it is associated with the COVID pandemic … crime surged, not only in New York, but all across the nation,” Hochul said.
While it is true the national rate of motor vehicle theft in 2022 was the highest it has been since 2008, it is undetermined what role the pandemic played in this change.
Part of Hochul’s five-part plan was to implement harsher punishments, fund more advanced technology for law enforcement, increase intervention or preventative programs for at-risk youth and to strengthen the prosecution of cases dealing with vehicle theft. She also sent a letter with Mark Schroeder, state Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner, to Kia and Hyundai owners, informing them of their vehicles’ susceptibility.
“Fortunately, there are some common-sense steps you can take to help prevent your car from being stolen, such as always locking your car doors and parking in well-lit areas,” the letter reads. “In addition, Kia and Hyundai have agreed to provide tools to strengthen your car’s anti-theft protections, including a software update and a window sticker.”
In November, state Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) proposed the Car Theft Prevention Act to counter the rising rates of car thefts. In Rochester, more than 3,800 motor vehicle thefts were reported in 2023. That number is nearly three times the total in 2022, which itself was a record year.
This new bill adds the felony offenses of criminal possession of stolen property in the first through fourth degrees as bail-qualified offenses.
Sixth Precinct community liaison officer Will Zieman and COPE officers Casey Berry and John Efstathiou visit monthly civic meetings and engage in community programs. Photo by Kevin Redding
In areas patrolled by the 6th Precinct, the sight of a police car has become more comforting than daunting for residents this year. That’s largely thanks to the efforts of Suffolk County Police Department officers Casey Berry and Will Zieman, who spend their days bridging gaps between cops and the community.
In just the last few months, the dynamic duo have supplied clothes and food to homeless residents, brought holiday cheer to struggling families, helped young kids with their homework and taught high schoolers how to cook healthy meals. The two also bounce between nine civic association meetings each month where they listen and try to find solutions to concerns and complaints raised by residents.
“Work doesn’t feel like work,” said Zieman, 34, smiling from ear to ear. “Everywhere we go we have an opportunity to make a difference that’s going to be beneficial to everybody. Each day we get to pay it forward.”
Casey Berry participates in a Police Unity Night. Photo by Kevin Redding
Berry, 39, who takes part in monthly Nerf battles with local kids at Sky Zone in Mount Sinai and hosts community fishing trips, said she especially values the impact they have on youth.
“It’s immeasurable when we go to these events and they say ‘Officer Casey!’ and come running up to hug my knees,” she said. “That’s going to be a 15- or 25-year-old one day that might have a problem, and I hope my relationship with them will then positively affect their relationship with law enforcement for years to come.”
Both former patrol officers, Berry and Zieman — a Community Oriented Police Enforcement, or COPE, officer and community liaison officer, respectively — took on their new roles within the precinct in recent years as a way to better connect with the public they serve. In doing so, they strived to make patrol officers’ lives easier and their interactions with residents more effective by breaking down barriers and quelling divisions between the police and public.
“Will and Casey genuinely care about the job they’re doing and clearly enjoy it,” said Sgt. Kathleen Kenneally, the executive officer of the SCPD’s Community Relations Bureau. “They’re very open to having transparent conversations with community members. There’s certainly a strife going on nationally [between cops and civilians] that causes questions in our community and they’ve made a point to engage and answer sometimes difficult questions.”
Berry said there’s always an initial guardedness among residents at events with them, no matter their ages, and it’s the unit’s job to put people at ease.
“Once they see the person behind the uniform, we can really see and feel the shift,” Berry said. “We’re not just the uniform, not just that person they may have had a negative experience with two weeks ago or whatever. I think that can all get dissolved by more human interaction.”
“Work doesn’t feel like work. Everywhere we go we have an opportunity to make a difference that’s going to be beneficial to everybody.”
— Will Zieman
During big events like Coffee With a Cop and National Night Out — nationwide community-police bonding initiatives — Zieman chats with people about “unmasking misconceptions,” he said.
“It’s a two-way street,” Zieman explained. “Not every police officer is the same and not every person who looks a certain way or dresses a certain way is the same. People become more open with us quickly. And within our events, we always try and make it a priority to reach out and explore development with communities that are hesitant to interact with us.”
Keith Owens volunteers at St. Michael’s Recreation Center in Gordon Heights and has been a longtime friend of the officers, who host fun activities with youth groups there. But Owens said many of the teens at the center weren’t too interested in hanging out with Berry and Zieman at first, as they have had negative experiences with police in their past.
“They were asking the officers questions in the beginning, like, ‘Would you shoot us?’ and ‘Why do you have a gun?’,” Owens said of the kids. “But now they’re asking me, ‘Is Officer Will coming by today?’ The youth are telling me they feel more comfortable around law enforcement. Will and Casey go above and beyond for them — it means the world to me.”
Pastor Anthony Pelella of Axis Church in Medford, where the officers host their cooking workshop and coat drives for residents in the winter, said the officers make a huge difference in the community.
“They’re really outgoing and their personalities are wonderful — it’s contagious,” Pelella said. “We’re so blessed here in the 6th Precinct to have officers like them. They’re really making a difference … you just have to see Officer Berry on her knees looking at these little kids, embracing mothers, she’s just so loving and helpful toward them.”
The two officers joined the force in 2010 with backgrounds that prepared them perfectly for their current jobs.
Will Zieman at a recent Coffee With a Cop event. Photo by Kevin Redding
Berry, who grew up in the Commack area in a family of police officers, always knew she wanted to be in a helping profession and served for several years as a social worker in an outpatient mental health clinic. She was also an instructor in the police academy before switching to the COPE unit.
Zieman, for as long as he can remember, wanted to either be a teacher or a cop. The William Floyd graduate eventually received degrees in childhood and special education at St. Joseph’s University and taught for a number of years within the Sachem school district, teaching fifth grade in the elementary school and math and English in the middle school. When he took the police test, for a second time, and did well, he had some soul-searching to do, he said.
“I thought, would I be able to live out the rest of my life without regretting not taking the risk?” Zieman recalled. “In both professions, you have the ability to right certain wrongs and guide people in the right direction. Being a community liaison officer gives me the ability to tie it all together.”
The pair, along with new 6th Precinct COPE officer John Efstathiou, are tasked with being as innovative as possible when it comes to creating events that engage the community. Many of their frequent initiatives include hosting tours of the precinct for members of the Girl and Boy Scouts; giving food, clothing and other nonperishables to those in need in a mobile food pantry; and helping the senior community get rid of expired medications.
A recent pilot event, headed by Zieman and in partnership with 6th Precinct Cops Who Care and Heritage Harbor Financial Associates in Port Jefferson Station, provided 40 low-income families the opportunity to get professional holiday photos taken free of charge.
Nicole Tumilowicz, the director of events at Sky Zone, said both officers are invaluable.
“With the state of the country right now and police relations in general, I think the two of them just really embody what it is to be an approachable, relatable police officer,” Tumilowicz said. “They’re really hands-on and their attitude toward life makes it easy for people to relate to … if anybody needs the help of the police, these two people would be the ones you’d want to go to.”
COPE Officer Angela Ferrara smiles with students in Huntington. Photo from SCPD.
By Rebecca Anzel
Suffolk County Police Department Officers Angela Ferrara and Jamie Wendt are no strangers to Huntington residents.
The 2nd Precinct’s two community-oriented police enforcement officers, otherwise known as COPE officers, are dedicated to working with and getting to know their community. Instead of focusing on enforcement and policing, Ferrara and Wendt attend community meetings to hear residents’ concerns, host events to connect with members of their community and even spend afternoons helping local kids with their homework.
“We want to help residents,” Ferrara said in a phone interview. “We want to make them safer, make their lives better. We love what we do. The COPE unit is here for the community and we’re always available for anyone that needs us.”
For their work connecting with residents in Huntington and bringing together the community with the Suffolk County Police Department Times Beacon Record News Media has named Officers Ferrara and Wendt as People of the Year.
“The COPE officers are phenomenally effective and popular in the community,” Police Commissioner Tim Sini said in a phone interview. “We want to make sure we break those barriers and always enhance the relationships that we have with the communities we’re tasked to protect. They are very much a part of the fabric of our community.”
The unit has been in existence for a long time, but it was redefined in 2014 as part of SCPD’s community policing model. COPE officers are tasked with building a trusting relationship with the communities the police protect. Sini said community partnership is a key aspect of SCPD’s mission and this unit is an integral part of that.
COPE Officer Jamie Wendt skates during an event. Photo from SCPD.
Ferrara has been a COPE officer since 1998. She left the 2nd Precinct between 2007 and 2010 to become an academy instructor but has been in her current position since she returned. Ferrara also leads the Police Explorers program, for kids ages 14 to 21 who show an interest in law enforcement careers.
Wendt is a Dix Hills native. She has been a COPE officer for about a year and also volunteers with local fire departments. Between the two of them, Ferrara and Wendt attend community meetings and events, and they plan their own as well.
Wendt organized a successful one in April — an ice skating event at the Dix Hills Park Ice Rink for children from the Tri Community and Youth Agency to teach them how to skate. She is a United States Figure Skating Association double gold medalist and has been coaching various skating disciplines for 19 years, so she said it was a fun way for her to share her expertise.
Tri CYA Regional Director Debbie Rimler said Wendt and Ferrara spend time with the kids whenever they can and always attend the organization’s events. The ice skating event attracted children ages 8 through 17, and they left asking when they could skate with the officers again.
Ferrara said events such as that one are her favorite because she gets to interact with the younger generation.
“I just love being around the children because they’re the future,” she said. “It’s rewarding to see the kids grow up and become adults too. If any of our guidance is helpful, that’s a great thing.”
Most recently, the officers participated in the SCPD’s Shop with a Cop event at Target. The department gives $50 gift cards to kids in the community who may not have the resources to purchase Christmas gifts, and officers take them shopping, helping them pick out toys and other presents.
“The faces on these children when they’re able to pick out gifts with a uniformed police officer is something special,” Sini said. “The event is such a great way to have our officers interact with and serve as role models for children while bringing holiday cheer to them.”
It is events like these that Jim McGoldrick, a Huntington Station resident, said is what makes the COPE officers so invaluable.
“Without Angela and Jaime, I don’t know where Huntington Station would be,” he said. “They’re so involved with our community, our kids — everything. They’ve become part of our family.”
