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Surprise adieu for Civilian Patrol chief By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
It was a serene Thursday evening when a small but lively crowd gathered inside the village’s community center. Some were clad in Valley Stream Civilian Patrol uniforms, but all awaited the arrival of their leader, Ralph Polverino. On the agenda? To give their outgoing president a surprise send-off. People hushed down as they heard the incoming footsteps. The moment they stopped, the sound was replaced with roaring applause.
A silver-haired Polverino, who joined the Civilian Patrol in the early years after its inception in the 1980s, looked on with a gentle smile. After 27 years of non-consecutive service as president, Polverino stepped from his mantle last Thursday. But, at least according to patrol treasurer George Catalanotto, the 89-year-old isn’t going far. Polverino will remain a member of the group’s executive board, filling in as needed as vice president and operations director. If you’ve ever seen a vehicle marked “Valley Stream Civilian Patrol” cruising slowly
Tim Baker/Herald
VAllEY StrEAm CIVIlIAN Patrol members and their families gathered to show their gratitude for outgoing President Ralph Polverino. through neighborhood streets, you’ve likely seen Polverino or one of a few dozen members of the board on their patrol beat, keeping a watchful eye on the community. But they are not a law enforcement agency, Catalanotto said. In fact, the organization doesn’t have the authority to issue tickets or make
arrests. They can’t even step on private property without the owner’s permission, and cannot break traffic laws while on patrol. “We are basically a neighborhood watch group,” Catalanotto said. “We patrol all the streets in Valley Stream. We use our own cars.” If they do spot suspicious
activity, members call 911 and then report it to two other Civilian Patrol members who log the incident for the organization’s records. “We are a set of eyes and ears for the neighborhood,” Catalanotto said. “We try to keep people safe.” The watch group patrols Continued on page 14
District 13 takes a hard second look at campus safety By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
It has been weeks since an alleged lone gunmen walked into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, shooting and killing 19 children and two adults. Since then, the tragedy’s aftershocks — felt nationwide — has set in motion a renewed effort by many Long Island school districts and law enforcement officials to reevaluate their own readiness against active shooter threats. At her own Board of Education meeting last month, District 13 superintendent Judith LaRocca sought to assuage doubts about safety concerns by offer-
ing an extensive overview of what her district has done in the wake of that shooting. It’s a plan she said had at least some parallels with what the district did combating the Covid-19 pandemic when it comes to a layered approach to safety. For example, schools have now posted security guards in all buildings. There is a visitor management system outfitted with surveillance cameras. And visitors now enter campuses through a security “buffer” known as a vestibule or “mantrap” — a small space with two sets of interlocking doors that can be remotely locked. Those employed on campuses
have been issued swipe cards that give access to specific buildings from the outside, potentially avoiding situations where doors are propped open and allowing intruders to slip in. But this isn’t the first time the district has addressed security, LaRocca added. Schools installed classroom door knobs in 2018 that lock from the inside. The district relies on technology to spruce up communication between school officials and police. Its four elementary schools have joined some 350 other schools across Nassau County for a “panic button” smartphone app. Installed on phones carried by teachers and
other employees, the app can instantly alert county officials of an active shooter threat while sharing information with police in real-time. That information, LaRocca said, can help determine the smartest way to intervene and minimize injuries and especially death. “We really do feel very confident in the Nassau County
Police Department and their ability to assist us,” LaRocca said. That confidence was reassured in part, she said, from de par tment-wide upg rades intended to deal with mass shootings like military-grade equipment such as tactical vests and Kevlar helmets, as well as Continued on page 16