Corbin Urges Residents to be Aware of Residential Burglaries  

Nassau County Legislator Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) joined the Nassau County Police Department in advising residents that this time of the year when the weather brings the homeowner out of the house and the burglar out on the prowl, open windows, doors and garage doors are an invitation to a potential thief.

Information developed by the NCPD’s Asset Forfeiture and Intelligence Lead Development Center and the Crimes Against Property Squad indicate that a particular group of organized transient criminals commonly known as “Gypsies” are perpetrating a series of burglaries and scams throughout Nassau County.

The “modus operandi” of these mostly Eastern Europeans is to drive in groups in a particular residential area in a car or van usually with out-of-state registration plates. The group will look for people working in their yards and enter through an unlocked or open entrance. The subjects will utilize children or elderly women to distract or minimize the homeowner’s suspicions while their accomplice will enter the residence during the ruse. Another ruse this nomadic group will do is to pose as a traveling handyman or utility company worker to gain access into the resident’s home.

There are several things residents can do to protect themselves from being victimized by these individuals.

• Make sure doors and windows are locked and secured.
• Set your home burglar alarm every time you leave the house.
• Lock valuables in a safe and don’t leave cash and jewelry in a conspicuous place such as bedrooms, kitchens or countertops.