Cops with long guns watching over Patchogue's 'Alive After Five' festival

xSpecially trained Suffolk police officers with long guns will now watch over large festivals and gatherings in the county — a stepped-up security measure on display Thursday in Patchogue.

There were no active threats targeting Patchogue's "Alive After Five" festival, Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina told reporters Friday, adding that the presence of officers with the Emergency Services Section was unrelated to a nonfatal shooting Thursday afternoon before the event.

The police commissioner said his concern about the possibility of a mass shooting at "one of the bigger events" in the department's jurisdiction prompted staffing the event and others going forward with the members of the ESU unit.

"The officers were there because we were having an event with thousands of people at it," said Catalina, who became commissioner in February, of the detail at the Patchogue festival. "This is something, whether you've seen it or not, we’ve been doing since I came into office."

Catalina added that similar deployments will be made at other large events this summer throughout the county.

"We’re making sure that those events are safe. ... If you’re going to see somebody deployed on a rooftop, they’re there to make sure that if, God forbid, there's an active shooter, that's the quickest way to mitigate that threat. ... You will see increased security at all those events," he said. 

Patchogue officials said Friday they were caught by surprise when they learned of the officers on rooftops, adding they were not told in advance of the plan.

Even so, village officials said they were not opposed to police assigning officers with long guns at the festival, which is held several times each summer and draws 20,000 to 30,000 people.

"'Alive After Five' has become such a large event, [police] had concerns about security," Mayor Paul Pontieri said in a phone interview Friday morning. "I don’t have a problem with it at all. Give me as much protection as you can and I appreciate it. We’re very fortunate that the police department is here in the village because they give us tremendous support." 

Silvana Aloisio, executive director of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, which organizes "Alive After Five," said she supported the increased police presence, citing mass shootings and car bombs in New Orleans, Las Vegas and elsewhere.

"We’re doing our best to make safety a priority, while we’re still trying a create a safe, welcoming" event, Aloisio said.

In the shooting Thursday afternoon on Edwards Street near Rider Avenue in Patchogue — about five blocks from the festival on Main Street — a 14-year-old allegedly fired multiple shots at a 17-year-old, who sustained "serious but non-life-threatening injuries" and was transported to a hospital, the Suffolk police said. The 14-year-old, who was not identified, was charged with first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police said in a news release.

Nassau County police did not respond to a message seeking comment on whether the department is assigning specially trained officers to large public gatherings.

Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said in a text message the village met with Nassau police ahead of its "Music on Main" festivals, which will be held four times in July and August, and determined that heavily armed police officers were "not needed."

Seeing officers on rooftops with long guns in Patchogue unnerved Marc Siegel, co-owner of Blum's apparel shop on East Main Street.

"I don’t like it," Siegel said in a phone interview Friday. "If it’s going to be like this ... it doesn’t look good to me. People aren’t going to come to downtown Patchogue. ... This is the first time I’ve heard about this."

David Kennedy, executive director of the Patchogue Business Improvement District, said he appreciated their presence but hoped in the future the officers on the rooftop will be less conspicuous.

"I can understand why it’s alarming to see that," Kennedy said.

Newsday's Andrew Ehinger, Nicholas Grasso, Joseph Ostapiuk and Tara Smith contributed to this story.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.