County Honors Wantagh and Seaford Auxiliary Police Officers

Three residents from the Wantagh-Seaford area were among those honored on April 7 as Nassau County paid tribute to its auxiliary police officers.

Honored at the awards ceremony in Mineola for volunteering 300 hours were Private First Class William Mancusi and Auxiliary Police Executive Michael Rosen, both of Unit 132 of the Nassau County Auxiliary Police in Wantagh. Inspector James Tozzi of Unit 133 in Seaford was also honored for volunteering 300 hours during the Auxiliary Police Awards event. In total 109 auxiliary officers from around Nassau County were recognized.

The ceremony also announced promotions and among those recognized for moving up in the ranks were Sgt. William Mancusi of Unit 132 in Wantagh.

Nassau dignitaries on hand  at the April 7 ceremony included County Executive Edward Mangano, who made a point of thanking the hundreds of family members present. Deputy Chief and Acting Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter said the Auxiliary forces have always been valuable, but probably never more so than in tough fiscal times.

"They are our eyes and ears," Krumpter said. "I can't count the number of times auxiliary patrols have called in and led to faster response time to crime or a disturbance call. And even the uniform can have a calming effect. Sometimes people who might want to commit a crime see an auxiliary officer and decide to not bother."

Krumpter  also said they help stretch thinned out personnel and budget numbers.

"We have been reduced, 325 officers in the last 18 months," Krumpter said. "Our core level is at the lowest it's been since 1965. It would be very difficult to do things without the auxiliaries. They gave over 70,000 hours of volunteer time to their County last year.”