More downtown Riverhead surveillance cameras planned 

More surveillance cameras are going up in downtown Riverhead, a move that is supported by the Town Board but is being questioned by some community activists. The south side of Main Street from Grangebel Park east to McDermott Avenue along the Peconic River has been equipped with cameras for the past four years. Now, town officials and the Riverhead Police Department are focusing on installing video surveillance on the north side of Main Street.

“The first location will be the parking lot behind West Main, behind Digger’s,” said Police Chief Ed Frost. “The whole north side will eventually be done in stages. Once the new parking structure goes up, we’ll probably move forward to that area as well.” Chief Frost went on to say that video plays a crucial role in helping the department prevent and investigate crimes. “Anything that helps us is invaluable,” he said.

The video feeds are streamed into the police headquarters communication system, giving dispatchers more real-time information. A+ Technology and Security Solutions Inc. of Bay Shore monitors the cameras 24/7. The cost of the camera project, approximately $160,000, is being funded through the Community Development Block Grant program. 

During Times Review’s “Future of Riverhead” breakfast forum in November, Chief Frost said downtown Riverhead is safe and that violent crimes account for only a small fraction of police calls. 

“The cameras are very helpful to the police in identifying cases where people are drinking in public or fighting,” Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said. “Just recently, the Riverhead Brew House was broken into and the person was seen on video carrying the cash register down the block so they were able to ID him and arrest him.”

Mr. Hubbard and Chief Frost declined to disclose the specific locations of all the cameras, but noted that they are not hidden. “But when a crime occurs, we go back to the cameras,” Mr. Hubbard said. 

The supervisor acknowledged that the business community and many residents have a perception that crime is a problem in the downtown area, but said that “the majority of incidents that occur downtown happen between known entities, such as people fighting over a former girlfriend. We believe the cameras make residents and businesses feel safe.”

Garrett Moore, a member of the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association, agrees with the supervisor, but also described the cameras as “a band-aid” and instead has been calling for a police substation on the riverfront.

“Our town is a destination. People leave their boats there and then other people have gotten onto their boats,” Mr. Moore said. “We have attendants at our beaches; why can’t we have them here? The cameras are a deterrent, but it’s not the same as having someone there. Let’s be proactive rather than reactive.”

Former town supervisor Laura Jens-Smith, who was in office when the first police cameras were installed, feels the entire project has been needlessly dragged out. “The cameras were in the process of being set up. I left office and no one followed through,” she said. “Eight years later, circumstances downtown have changed.” 

She added that there’s still lots of petty crime occurring, and with more residential units in the downtown areas, the number of planned cameras should increase proportionately. 

Like Mr. Moore, Ms. Jens-Smith feels a police substation is what’s needed along the riverfront. “This is a focal point of the community, everyone’s been calling for this and it’s is a priority to make people feel safe,” she said. “[Mr. Hubbard has] been in office for almost nine years now and he hasn’t followed through. The money is there; they just have to get it done.”

Responding to Ms. Jens-Smith, Chief Frost said, “The police substation is in our plans, but we’re not there yet. The plan for the cameras was in place prior to me taking this position.” 

Mr. Hubbard appeared surprised by Ms. Jens-Smith’s remarks. “Obviously this is a political statement. The cameras are all up and running on the south side of Main Street. And the plan is to put the police substation at the new parking lot, not the riverfront,” he said. “But camera locations may change after the Town Square is built.” He added that the town also has access to footage from additional cameras that are mounted on the new apartment buildings.

Down the road, in yet another effort focused on increasing downtown safety, officials plan to illuminate two alleyways that lead pedestrians from the parking lots to Main Street. Construction could begin this summer on a 100-foot brick passageway from the riverfront parking lot next to Merary’s Nail and Spa that will be lit by a 45-foot-long aluminum LED re-creation of a North Atlantic right whale, according to neon artist Clayton Orehek, who also created many of the illuminated sculptures in Grangebel Park. “People will be able to walk under it and through it, as it’ll be suspended overhead,” he said.

On the north side of Main Street, the walkway leading patrons of The Suffolk to the parking lot behind the theater will be lit with five vignettes, each six feet square. ”Some of them might reflect our vineyards and the arts on the North Fork,” Mr. Orehek said, adding that this phase of project won’t begin until all renovations at The Suffolk are completed. The town estimates this phase of the lighting project will cost around $33,500 and be funded through several grants.