HEMPSTEAD, NY – Nassau County Executive Laura Curran this week joined Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder and Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas to host an important County-wide School Safety Forum at Hofstra University.
“I am proud to work with two of the best law enforcement leaders in the nation, District Attorney Madeline Singas and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder,” said Curran. “Together we are implementing policies to encourage children to respect themselves, respect each other and respect the law.”
Thw forum focused on significant issues pertaining to Nassau County’s children and families--including active shooter training, the opioid epidemic and cyberbullying--and featured expert speakers from the Narcotics/Vice Bureau, Central Testing Division/Drug Recognition, Bureau of Special Operations, NCPD Homeland Security and many more from both the Police Department and the private sector.
“School safety doesn’t have a ‘one-size-fits-all’ all solution,” said Nassau County District Attorney Singas. “It’s a multi-pronged approach that is continually evolving and its events like these that bring stakeholders together, so we break down communication barriers to ensure Nassau is taking a proactive approach to prevent senseless crimes. I thank County Executive Curran and Police Commissioner Ryder for their leadership on this critical issue.”
Attendees also heard from speakers at the forefront of the Nassau County opioid epidemic and saw firsthand demonstrations including, Active Shooter, Cyberbullying, Stop the Bleed and Operation Natalie - Our War on Opioid Abuse.
Teachers, school administrators, parents, students, community members and residents attended this important event.
“This is a partnership and the biggest partner we have is the community,” said Commissioner Ryder. “We need to engage our families and we need to engage our communities. We need to make sure we take care of our children. They are our future, the future in this county that we need to make sure they are protected and that we do the right thing by them.
“If you are not part of the conversation, you won’t be part of the solution, and we need the community to be involved if we want to be successful in keeping our kids safe,” said County Executive Curran.
The forum is part of Nassau County’s continued public safety efforts which also include a new School Safety Program, which works to provide the safest environment possible in our schools; enhanced 911 response through RAVE application implementation in schools, which expedites the police response time and connectively to technology used for security purposes; and the formation of the Commissioner’s Community Council (CCC), to further address the needs and concerns of Nassau’s neighborhoods. There is one CCC in each of the county’s 19 legislative districts.
“Every person who attended shared the same vision to ensure the safety of our communities and educational institutions,” said Curran. “We will work together with our schools, community organizations, and the commissioner community councils to continue improving communication, collaboration, cross training, and education.”