Old Westbury's New Police Chief Talks Car Thefts, Tech And Criminals

OLD WESTBURY, NY — The Village of Old Westbury's newly-sworn in police chief retired from the Suffolk County Police Department where he rose through the ranks during 37 years to become chief of department and then acting police commissioner. Stuart Cameron took over the head of a much smaller force last week, where he's in charge of the safety of just under 5,000 residents.

Cameron, a Nassau County resident, told Patch that protecting the small village in some ways is a continuation of what he's done before.

"People here want what residents want anywhere. They want to be safe in their homes," he said, adding that Old Westbury, like the rest of Nassau County, has seen an uptick in crimes like car thefts and burglaries.

To address that, Cameron said he is looking to add technology like additional license plate readers, and other technologies that will help the department react when criminals come to Old Westbury.

"These criminals are coming specifically to target the residents, and their cars," he said.

"Apprehending them is harder than it used to be, and dangerous," so he wants to focus on making Old Westbury inhospitable to criminals looking for a place to target.

Cameron said educating residents is also important.

"The criminals adapt," and learn new ways to steal cars, as residents adapt and remember to do things to not leave key fobs inside their cars, he explained, so continuing education and communication with the residents is key.

"I would love that if people are thinking of coming into Old Westbury [to commit a crime] that we can make it so distasteful to come here they are not going to want to," he said.