Bethpage-Tribune_1975-08-21

              BETHB*GE
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OLD BETHB«GE
also serving ISLAND TREES
PLAINVIEW PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
VOL. 9 NO. 39 Thursday, August 21, J975 10 cents per copy
M.O.B. Combats Violence
OUTSTANDING DEDICATION AWARDS - The Marco Polo Lodge of
the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, Levittown, honored
Councilman Anthony Imbarrato and Pete Mastropaolo at the
Lodge's last meeting held on July 22, 1975. The two received "Out­standing
Dedication Awards" for their outstanding services to the
Lodge. Shown after the awards presentation are, left to right,
Councilman Imbarrato, Venerable Frank Pastore and Pete
Mastropaolo. Councilman Imbarrato is Founder of the Marco Polo
Lodge and has donated much of his time and energies to it. Mr.
Mastropaolo is Entertainment Chairman and with his efforts the
Lodge was able to donate money from entertainment to the Cancer
Fund, March of Dimes, Cooley's Anemia and the Scouts of
Levittown.
Photo by Ferlise
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS. Carole Fishman, Democratic candidate
for the Oyster Bay Town Board, discusses a point with Dave Behr-man
(R), President of the East Massapequa Civic Association, and
Don Scarl (L), President of the East End Civic Association, at a local
"Coffee" held for Democratic Town candidates last week. Mrs. Fish­man
is well known for her work with local civic associations
throughut the Town -- including her activities in support of the Beth-page
Civic Association.
LOOKIN' FOR A HOME: Hempstead Town Director of Animal
Control Tony Ferrara (left) and Arthur L. Amundsen, Director of the
Eastern Office of the American Humane Association, admire
Charlie, an Alaskan Malamute who found a temporary home at the
Hempstead Town Animal Shelter at 3320 Beltagh Avenue in Wan-tagh.
Amundsen, during his annual inspection of the facility, termed
the operation a "showplace" and gave it an A-l rating. Charlie
represents just one of the many lovable dogs adoptable lor a small
fee.
Denis Dillon, District Attorney
of Nassau County announced that
a Major Offense Bureau
(M.O.B.) established to combat
an increase in violent crime; to
focus resources on habitual of­fenders
and to restrict plea
bargaining in these cases, will
become operational in his office
on September 1.
Dillon said "I believe that the
best deterrent is swift and certain
punishment, and the aim of this
bureau is to move these cases
from arrest to disposition in 90
days".
He noted that recent police
statistics show an increase in
violent crime in the County, and
that a study made in his office of
395 indictments (441 defendants)
returned in 1974, for serious
robbery, burglary, rape, sodomy,
assault and attempted murder
showed that to date only 162 of­fenders
received any prison time
(68 cases are still open). Also, 75
percent of these cases took longer
than 90 days to move through the
system to disposition.
Dillon said that due to felony
screening which evaluates felony
indictments, the overall number
of indictments has declined since
last year, but there has been an
increase in the number of in­dictments
on these violent
crimes.
M.O.B. will be staffed by seven
experienced attorneys who will
be on call 24 hours a day. When a
person is arrested, based on the
nature of the charge; the extent
of personal injury or property
loss or damage; the criminal's
prior record and the strength of
the case, as Assistant District
Attorney will go directly to the
precinct house and stay with the
case through disposition.
At the police station the A.D.A.
will begin preparation of the
case. The Assistant will take
statements from police officers
arid civilian witnesses and serve
grand jury subpoenas. He can be
present for line-up; draw up
search warrants and order lab
tests or photos needed for
evidence.
M.O.B. cases will be presented
to grand jury within 72 hours of
arrest and arraignment will be
scheduled within 48 hours of
indictment.
At arraignment on the in­dictment,
the District Attorney
will inform the defendant and the
court that the defendant is a
major felony offender. He will be
in a position to inform the court
the reasons why and oppose the
defendant's acceptance into
Operation Midway (a
probationary program).
The defense will be given,
either at arraignment or no later
than initial conference, all the
information and evidence they
are legally entitled to under law,
• without the necessity of making
formal motions, additionally the
District Attorney will consent to
most pre-trial hearings orally
requested by the defense counsel.
During the initial conference
before the Administrative Judge
an offer of disposition will be
made. The defendant will be
given one week to consider the
disposition. At the end of the
week either a plea will be taken
of the case will be set down for
trial. If the defendant chooses to
go to trial the case will be
assigned to one of two judges who
will try major felony offenders.
The planning phase of M.O.B.
has been underway since June.
Dillon and Assistant District
Attorney Robert Straus, who will
head the unit, have been meeting
with police and court officials.
Numerical case ranking has been
established to screen the most
serious cases and is being used on
an experimental basis by the
police. Guidelines have been
prepared for conferences, pleas
(plea bargaining will be
eliminated or greatly restricted)
and sentencing.
Dillon praised Police Com­missioner
Louis Frank and
Administrative Judge Raymond
L. Wilkes for their cooperation,
which he called vital to the
/success of the program.
Total annual funding for the
unit is $302,802. Seventy nine
percent is federal money sup­plied
by the Law Enforcement
Assistance Administration under
the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968. Matching
funds of $16,105 will come from
the State and $51,925 from the
County.
Robert Straus, M.O.B. director
will serve as a deputy chief under
County Court Trial Bureau Chief
Harvey Levinson. The bureau
will primarily handle serious
robbery, burglary, kidnapping,
arson, rape, sodomy, assault,
attempted murder and extortion
and larceny cases involving
violence. Homicide and narcotics
will remain in specialized
bureaus.
Straus has served in the
Nassau District Attorney's office
since 1969. He was formerly a
trial attorney with the Legal Aid
Society in New York City. Other
Assistant District Attorneys
assigned to the unit are: Donald
Birnbaum; Philip Grella; Steven
Irace; Robert Melillo; Anthony
Piacentini; Peter Rubin and
Ronald Schoenberg. A detective
investigator; three legal
secretaries and a statistician
complete the unit staff.
Nassau County Police Report
The Nassau County Police
Department and the District
Attorney's Office have become
aware of the unlawful sale or
possession of certain firearms by
firearms dealers and residents of
Nassau County under the belief
or guise that such firearms were
exempt under the antique
firearms section.
In 1974, the legislature
amended the definition of
"firearm" in Section 265.00 (3) of
the Penal Law of the State of New
York to exclude certain antique
firearms from the licensing
requirements of the law.
Section 265.00(14) Penal Law
defines an antique firearm as
"any unloaded muzzle-loading
pistol or revolver with a mat­chlock,
flintlock, percussion cap,
or similar type of ignition
system, or a pistol or revolver
which uses fixed cartridges
which are no longer available in
the ordinary channels of com­mercial
trade."
Either through misin­formation,
misinterpretation, or
disregard of the law, certain
firearms not complying with
aforementioned section have
been sold and purchased as
antique or replicas of antique
firearms.
The firearms in question are
black powder replica revolvers
which when loaded are capable of
firing six shots in rapid suc­cession.
One of the requirements
of the Antique Law that is not
complied with by these weapons
is the "muzzle-loading" aspect
which means the firearm must be
loaded only through the muzzle
end of the barrel where the
projectile exits.
Commissioner Frank and
District Attorney Dillon ex­pressed
their detp concern with
the lethal capabilities of these
weapons and their current
availability in the firearms
market place. Tests conducted at
the Nassau County Police
Scientific Investigation Bureau
disclosed that these alleged
antique pistols penetrated
plywood targets to 1 1/2" thick
and that these weapons are as
deadly and dangerous as any
other firearm.
Firearm dealers failing to
comply with this law and all laws
relating to the sale of firearms
will be forthwith arrested.
Persons who have made pur­chases
of these firearms under
the belief that they were exempt
as antiques will be permitted to
bring the weapons to the Pistol
License Section of the Records
Bureau, Nassau County Police
Headquarters, 1490 Franklin
Avenue, Mineola, for inspection
as to its category at any time
prior to September 15, 1975.
Those firearms found to be
possessed in violation of law will
be invoiced to the Police
Property Bureau for safekeeping
with the owner having the option
of:
(a) applying for pistol permit if
eligible
(Continued on Page 8)