Nassau Sixth Precinct's history handling cruel crimes
Nassau County police investigate a murder scene. (May 5, 2002) Credit: David L. Pokress
Officers in the Sixth Precinct patrol an area replete with quiet streets, manicured lawns and spacious homes.
Violent crimes are rare in the precinct that includes Manhasset, Great Neck and other parts of North Hempstead, according to Lawrence W. Mulvey, Nassau County Police commissioner.
Past this quiet suburban appearance, however, are a handful of tales of cruel crimes that have rocked Long Island.
Take the case of Lawrence Lever, an Old Brookville millionaire real estate developer who was shot to death in 1978 during a burglary by Alan Golder.
Golder, dubbed the "Dinnertime Bandit," burglarized millions in jewels from homeowners before he was caught in 1980 and later convicted of second-degree murder.
And then there's Jack Teich, a Kings Point business executive who was kidnapped in his driveway in 1974 and held for $750,000 ransom. He was released unharmed after the ransom was paid.
Mulvey, who earned a police Purple Heart after he was stabbed three times in the chest while serving in the precinct, knows firsthand that the area's looks can be deceiving. He worked at the Sixth from 1973 to 1984 and said while the area is tranquil, officers there also face the same dangers as others in more violent precincts.
"The Sixth Precinct has a long and cherished history," he said.
"It is a more affluent demographic," Mulvey said. "Their needs and issues are different."
The area has seen notorious killers such Ricardo Caputo, dubbed "Ladykiller," who confessed to killing four women including his fiancee - a 19 year-old Flower Hill woman in 1971. Oliver Petrovich shot and killed his parents in their Great Neck home in 1988 after, he said, they objected to his having a black girlfriend.
Nikolaos Kotsopoulos was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of shooting his wife in the face as she was preparing dinner for Greek Orthodox Easter at their Manhasset home in 2002.
The Sixth Precinct, which started out in 1930 in an old house on Northern Boulevard, has moved three times in its history.
Its last move, in 1972, took it to 100 Community Dr. in Manhasset, where the building's vast square footage makes it stand out, Mulvey said. "It was the flagship police precinct."
'A spark for them to escalate the fighting' A standoff between officials has stalled progress, eroded community patience and escalated the price tag for taxpayers. Newsday investigative editor Paul LaRocco and NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie report.
'A spark for them to escalate the fighting' A standoff between officials has stalled progress, eroded community patience and escalated the price tag for taxpayers. Newsday investigative editor Paul LaRocco and NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie report.
