The most recent SCPD community meeting at the West Babylon Public Library was attended by a crowd more substantial than usual. Despite the concerns commonly raised at the community meetings, there was one that seemed to be looming large over the anxious residents in attendance. Residents were gathering to express their united concern about safety and crime related complaints at the Babylon Train Station.
The police in attendance reassured residents that communication and coordination amongst the police, MTA, and fire department were working to resolve the issues being raised. When asked if the MTA could provide a more consistent police presence at the station, the reply from one official in attendance was ”the MTA is underfunded.” The strategy for resolving these issues and the reasoning that funding was the cause did not rest well with the taxpaying residents, nor should it.
As a town resident myself, I believe that we are already funding MTA Police coverage at the station. The station is under the jurisdiction of the MTA. Most troubling, is the idea that pulling surrounding resources to fill a gap in MTA operations is considered an acceptable solution. Covering for a deficiency in one area with local resources will eventually result in more deficiencies in those surrounding areas. I sent the following letter to our elected officials in Albany to not only bring this local issue to their attention but alert them to these conditions.
Senator Boyle and Assemblywoman Pellegrino,
Due to recent reported criminal activity at the LIRR Babylon Station and the continuing safety concerns expressed by residents at the SCPD First Precinct community meeting this past Thursday evening, I am writing to request the MTA be required to post a uniformed MTA police officer at the station platform during peak and overlapping hours of operation.
The Babylon Station is a main hub on the MTA line. At various intervals throughout the day the area is traversed by thousands of commuters as well as students and teachers going to and from Babylon High School, which is located just fifty yards from the station. With such a high concentration of people in a small area, the residents would be well served to have the visible presence of a uniformed MTA officer stationed at the platform.
The Suffolk County Police Department, which has jurisdiction over the surrounding villages and hamlets, has recently increased patrols in the area. The platform and the immediate surroundings, however, are under the jurisdiction of the MTA. The MTA’s cooperation, along with the SCPD patrolling the adjacent local areas, would provide the desired level of safety and law enforcement protection the residents are seeking.
While the reaction towards such a request might be met with concerns about the funding of such a measure, the implementation of this requirement will not have a negative budgetary impact. The solution can be found in scheduling and payroll management adjustments that meet the demands of the residents for the services that we are already funding. I respectfully ask you to also take into consideration that the residents of Suffolk County are already burdened with an MTA Tax. While the creation of this tax was the cause of much debate, the residents are now looking for a return on this costly investment.
The mandate I am requesting for the Babylon Station, should be a permanent requirement of the MTA, not a temporary one. This Mandate should also be considered at other hubs like the one at the Babylon Station. Our collective goal regarding safety concerns should be to not only react appropriately to the incidents reported in the past but to provide a further deterrent from future incidents. What good is the “see something, say something” campaign, if there is no one to tell?
Thank you for your consideration,
Christopher Paolillo
[Photo] Pfost, Steve (January 30, 2019) The Babylon Long Island Rail Road train station along railroad avenue in Babylon Village. Newsday
Christopher Paolillo 