The Village of Hempstead Police Department, the oldest police force in Long Island, is marking 150 years of service to Nassau County, having faced a myriad of challenges, from serious crime and gang conflicts to a significant rise in drug issues.
“We’ve seen it all, from heroin trafficking in the ’60s to the crack crisis that lasted from the mid-’80s to the ’90s,” said Chief Richard Holland.
He added, perhaps jokingly, “Thankfully, we haven’t experienced anything like a serial killer,” a comment likely alluding to the infamous Gilgo Beach murders from Suffolk County.
The police department was founded in 1875 after nearly two decades during which locals volunteered to patrol their own neighborhoods.
However, officials note that the most intense violence seems to have started about fifty years ago.
Mayor Waylin Hobbs, who worked in code enforcement during the 1980s, saw firsthand how dire things were. “There were massive drug busts back then, so significant that they had to use Kennedy Park to process the sheer number of arrests,” he recalled, mentioning that the park is spacious enough to include a football field, swimming pool, and tennis courts.
“Prostitution was rampant too,” he noted, although that has decreased notably over the years. “The police employed a female undercover agent to apprehend the clients.”
Gang problems also surfaced regularly, particularly in 2005, when a feud between the Bloods and the Crips led to the arrests of about fifteen gang members from both factions.
This incident prompted the Hempstead Police Department to shift its approach, collaborating with federal agencies like the DEA, the FBI’s Gang Task Force, and the ATF to combat serious crime more effectively.
Such teamwork has recently led to significant drug busts, including the 2019 case involving local drug operation leader Darren Devane.
In a notable operation, Hempstead PD, along with the FBI ATF and Nassau County officers, seized around 400,000 grams of fentanyl, estimated to be responsible for about 150,000 potential overdoses, from members of the Bloods gang.
Chief Holland termed it “one of the largest fentanyl seizures on Long Island at that time.” Devane is set to face a 22-year prison sentence in 2023.
Recently, the police have begun utilizing new technologies, including drones, to enhance safety in the area. “Just last week, we tackled a case using this technology. We spotted an individual dropping a gun. While we couldn’t track him initially, the drone helped us locate him,” Holland shared.
“Drones are now an active part of our operations, especially in crime-heavy hotspots,” he emphasized.
This advancement, along with the recent upgrades of the K9 unit, has been credited with a notable 34% drop in robberies since the start of the year and only one gun-related homicide each year for the past three years.
“That’s a record for us,” noted the Chief.
Mayor Hobbs commended the department’s 125 officers for their commitment to making a difference, recognizing efforts that often go underreported, like a gun arrest at a local residence last July.
“In that situation, a resident pointed a gun at detectives. Thankfully, he was disarmed without any shots being fired,” the Mayor recounted. “It’s impressive that they exercised restraint and safely removed two weapons from the street without injuries to anyone, including the officers.”
