Crime & Safety

Police to Increase Security at EPCAL Following Commercial Burglaries

Following commercial burglaries over past two months, more patrols on western side of town.

Following two burglaries in the past two months at Enterprise Park at Calverton resulting in nearly $300,000 in reported damages and losses, the town supervisor and police chief are saying the police department is going to up its enforcement at the town-owned, 2,900-acre property on the western side of town.

Supervisor Sean Walter met with business owners and operators at EPCAL last week, who have been stung twice most recently by copper thefts. In January, a reported $250,000 in damage and stolen copper was taken from Metro Terminals Corporation. Last month, Ecor Solutions reported $21,000 in stolen copper.

"We're going to see if we can have patrol cars go through EPCAL a few times per shift, as opposed to one, and document their trips" Walter said. "The only other option would be to fund private security over there. I told them that if they could pitch in one-half or three-quarters of the cost, I could find additional funds."

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Police Chief David Hegermiller, guarded on giving too much information lest "the bad guys figure out," said his department's options are limited. However, he verified Walter's request on Thursday morning and said his department would be providing more patrols.

"We're not equipped to do much more than patrol over there," he said. "And they should get the same shake everyone else is getting, and I believe they are. I can try to patrol there more, but Riverhead is a big, big place. Sixty-seven square miles."

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On Thursday, he said his department would be patrolling EPCAL more frequently than previously.

Ed Miller, director of operations at Metro Terminals, said he was "absolutely" happy to hear that the town would be increasing its patrols. But he said funding a private security company on the former Grumman property was an additional cost some business owners would not be willing to make.

"We already pay taxes, so there has to be a better way," said Miller. "But more patrols would be better."

Miller proposed placing a decoy police car at the entrance to the facility, an idea the supervisor dismissed because of the expensive equipment inside the cars. Miller said moving surveillance cameras from the abandoned runways to the facilities' entrances was also suggested.

According to a review of police reports, the recent copper thefts are the only reported commercial burglaries at EPCAL since mid-September of last year, though Miller said he hasn't bothered to report smaller incidents, using a stolen tail light as an example.

Sgt. Jospeh Loggia of the police department's detective division said in early March that no suspects had been singled out for the two recent burglaries.


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