Matt Elzweig

ÒI wouldnÕt describe myself as a trouble-maker, but trouble always seems to find me,Ó says Nick Moberley, a senior at Northport High School. According to Moberley, trouble found him once again on the night of September 3, 1995.
It was on this night that he was allegedly stopped by a Suffolk County police officer and questioned about a reported ÒdisturbanceÓ in the area. Moberley claims that although he did not resist the interrogation, the officer punched him in the ribs, knocki ng the wind out of him before he left.
This raises a question. Is this type of incident a common occurence in Suffolk County? Is this unheard of in Northport? Mostly, how do the police and kids get along these days?
As far as whether itÕs unheard of in Northport, ÒDefinitely not, it happens all the time,Ó said Dan Geres, a sophomore. And on the overall relationship between students and the police, he has this to say,ÒItÕs definitely not good. ... They turn little sit uations into huge situations, and I just donÕt think itÕs right.Ó. Geres claims that a police officer twisted his arm and threatened to hit him over the head with a flashlight as Geres left a house party in the Northport area last fall. Geres claims that as he left the party he said ÒGood evening officer,Ó to the approaching officer. Geres attributes the alleged incident to this comment.
Brooke Failey, also a sophomore was much more forward about her opinion. ÒThey hate us and we hate them,Ó she says of police.
Reports of other such alleged incidents are fairly common according to Northport students. ÒIÕve heard of people being illegaly searched,Ó said William Nestor, a junior. ÒCops have a bad attitude when dealing with kids to begin with,Ó he goes on to say.
According to a junior at Northport who was recently arrested for disorderly conduct, ÒIn my opinion, the officers acted in a very unprofessional way.Ó
Lt. Robert Kreuder of Suffolk CountyÕs 2nd precinct has been a police officer for 26 years. Of the Moberley incident he says, ÒIf thatÕs true, I donÕt like to hear about any police officer doing that.Ó Based on the fact that no formal complaint was submi tted he said, ÒIf he has a complaint, then he should come to us.Ó Moberley has yet to do so.
According to Kreuder the relationship between kids and cops has changed over the years. ÒWe (the police) got a little more respect in the past than we do today,Ó he admits. But what is at the root of of this apparently hostile relationship? He feels tha t one of the contributing factors to the apparent hostility that certain kids feel towards police has to do with their parents. In the past he concedes, parents and their kids both had more fear of and respect for the police officer. ÒItÕs what you learn in the homes. The parents have to show respect. ... A particular situation could leave a bad taste in the mouth of a parent or a youth, tainting their perception of a police officerÕs job,Ó he explains. Another problem he said is a lack of understandi ng on the part of the student of what the purpose of the police officerÕs job is. He continued by saying that, ÒI think most of them (kids) donÕt understand what the police job entails and the powers that we have.Ó
What is the policemanÕs job? According to a Northport resident and retired NYPD seargent of 16 years, ÒItÕs to protect and serve. ... The typical teenager has the idea that the policeman is half there to help him, an half there to hurt him.Ó
Possibly the biggest problem is a lack of communication between kids and police. Kreuder feels that Òmore dialogueÓ between student representatives and police would be a big help, that communication could be the key to a healthier relationship. ÒItÕs the same as in any area. No area is worse than the other. You have certain kids that just donÕt care,Ó says Kreuder of the existing state of student-police relations in the Northport-East Northport area.
He feels that there is a lack of organized activities for kids to be involved in to keep kids out of trouble. However, even he admits ÒYour kids that want to get in trouble are going to despite the organized activities. ... We have to understand each othe r in todayÕs world in order to get along.Ó He says that this is his own personal philosophy about the student-police relationship.
Mr. Pete Stachecki who teaches Criminal Justice at Northport High School is also the Ombudsman. As Ombudsman, Stacheki has to come into contact with kids, their parents, and legal officials. Street cops and detectives frequently visit his class.ÒItÕs p robably one of distrust on both sides,Ó says Stachecki of the student-police relationship. ÒItÕs been true for a long time, IÕd say,Ó he says.
He also cites a lack of communication between students and police as a big problem.
ÒIt would be useful if there was some type of communication so they could understand each other.Ó he says. In his opinion, teenagers are adults, but they are the least mature group of adults. ÒKids want independence so any authority is looked down upon. ... The police officer is taught that he can lose control over situations if he doesnÕt establish his authority right from the start. Kids view this as being overly gruff.Ó he explains. Stachecki feels that the whole idea of authority intimidates kids. ÒKids are looking to get away from authority and police represent the whole stature of authority.Ó he says. This may explain some of the intimidation that kids feel when dealing with cops.
As far as the situation in the Northport-East Northport area is concerned, Stachecki feels that the Northport Village Police, and the officers of Suffolk County Precinct Two deal with kids in a similar manner. He feels that it really varies from individua l (police officer) to individual. ÒWe probably have less than a lot of communities do,Ó he says of problems between kids and cops.
Stachecki feels that Northport High School is a unique place when it comes to the freedoms granted to students. Stachecki feels that faculty and students have always had a free exchange of ideas and a cooperative relationship. This is conducive to a posi tive relationship, so kids donÕt feel the need to act out. The contrast between Northport High School and other high schools in this respect is sharp.
The fact that police have been seen on occasion outside the Northport High School student parking lot to check for junior licenses , may also be contributing to friction between police and students. When asked in a recent interview whether or not this in fact contributes to strained relations between police and Northport High School students junior Scott Sheridan says, ÒNot really. Well first of all I donÕt think that students should think of police officers as bad people because theyÕre here to protect the welfare of the students.Ó
In reference to the allegations made by Moberley, Stachecki says, ÒIÕve heard other students express similar situations in confrontations with the police, but itÕs not common.Ó He says that if kids feel that they are being mistreated, they should be able to identify the police officer. This includes a physical description as well as a badge number. However, says Stachecki ÒIf youÕre not willing to stand up for your rights, then you have none.Ó In other words if you really have a complaint to make conc erning the police, either pursue it or remain silent.
Do cops generally have motives to disturb kids? Not according to Stehecki. ÒCops donÕt want to cause more problems for the force,Ó says Stehecki. ÒItÕs probably most difficult for newer cops to gauge how much they have to establish their authority in a given situation,Ó Stachecki explains.
More communication seems neccesary for a healthier relationship between students and police at this point. Are these allegations made against police by students valid? In the words of Mr. Hanley, ÒIf you stay out of trouble, youÕre always gonna find that t he police man is your friend.Ó