Sea Cliff may end county police coverage

Another North Shore village is considering ending Nassau County police coverage in an effort to save money and receive more focused patrols.

Sea Cliff -- served from the Sixth Precinct in Manhasset nearly eight miles away -- has commissioned a study with neighboring Glen Cove about using that city's police force. Leaders of both municipalities hope to see the study's results this fall.

"It could save money for our village and bring revenue to Glen Cove," Sea Cliff Mayor Bruce Kennedy said this week. "The concept seems to be a win-win proposition."

Sea Cliff joins Laurel Hollow, which is negotiating with Oyster Bay Cove police, in seeking alternatives to county law enforcement.

Brian Nevin, spokesman for County Executive Edward Mangano, said Wednesday that the county wouldn't see significant financial impact if either village left.

Mangano and Nassau's acting police commissioner, Thomas Krumpter, "have had, and will continue to have, regular meetings with the villages to address any outstanding issues," Nevin said.

Sea Cliff officials did not provide its exact Nassau police expense but have said it totals about $2 million annually.

Sea Cliff residents pay a police tax directly to the county. If the village turned to Glen Cove police, one option could be charging its own, lower tax rate, then using that money to pay the city of Glen Cove, said Village Administrator John Mirando.

The roughly $40,000 feasibility study will provide precise cost and savings estimates.

Covering Sea Cliff "wouldn't take away from the service that Glen Cove receives," said Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi, adding that money from Sea Cliff could provide more patrol cars and officers. "So if our city can provide equal or better service to Sea Cliff and save them money, then why not?"

Glen Cove police have a sworn staff of 52 -- from a chief to patrol officers -- and a 2011 budget of $12.3 million, according to city documents. They cover about 27,000 people in 6.7 square miles.

Sea Cliff, bordering the city on the south, has a population of 5,000 in 1.1 square miles.

Kennedy called the Nassau police emergency response "tremendous," but said his village's distance from Sixth Precinct headquarters was problematic.

"What we're lacking is local patrol," he said.

A plan to fold the Sixth Precinct into the Second, in Woodbury, is still under discussion. That consolidation would put Sea Cliff farther from precinct headquarters.