Suffolk's Third Precinct getting more cops

Thirteen new Suffolk police officers will join the Third Precinct, where residents in Brentwood and Central Islip have asked for more police presence in reaction to recent killings, officials said.

The precinct, which is getting the officers from Suffolk's newest class of 68 police academy graduates, is receiving the most officers from the group, said Suffolk Capt. Bill Read of the Third Precinct.

Read made the announcement at a monthly community meeting at the precinct Tuesday night where more than 60 residents voiced concerns about neighborhood violence and gang activity.

Stanley Jones, whose son Andrew Jones, 18, was murdered May 25, shook with tears as he spoke at the meeting and urged officials to step up efforts against gang members he believes executed his son.

"I want to find out where we go from here," said Jones, 46, a mechanic from Brentwood. "We need to do whatever we can to take some of these boys off the street. We need war."

Kurt Kronemberg, 51, of Bay Shore, recently started a neighborhood watch and said people are fed up with the crime. "Our future is being eradicated by these gang members," Kronemberg, a truck driver, said. "I'm tired of hearing about the deaths of these kids."

In the last two months, at least four people were killed in Brentwood and Central Islip.

Throughout much of the two-hour meeting, residents voiced similar concerns. In response, Read said officials plan to "focus on Brentwood," while policing surrounding areas. He also reminded residents that Suffolk police have stepped up their efforts in Brentwood and Central Islip by adding extra officers and patrol cars, and by assigning specialized units to the areas.

Read also told residents that officers hope residents will aid them in their efforts. "We need community members to get information to us," he said.

The new officers, who will join the current 261 officers in the precinct, will be in training this summer, Read said.

Kronemberg said he was pleased to hear about the extra officers. "We need them patrolling our streets desperately," he said. "They have to show their faces and say I'm here."

Jones said the extra officers are a step in the right direction but that experienced officers are key. "They need to be pulling seasoned detectives and seasoned gang units to help find these killers."