A 31-year police veteran, Donald Raber has taken charge of the 7th Precinct in Shirley with a mission of building trust and a working relationship between the Suffolk Police and the community.
Accompanied by members of the department’s COPE Unit, Raber attended a meeting of the Pattersquash Creek Civic Association last week to talk about community concerns including “street people,” car thefts, and quality of life issues.
“I’m committed to solving problems by collaborating with community leaders,” Raber told the Pattersquash members. “I don’t want to just solve crimes, l want to build a trusting relationship with the community.” The new inspector described himself as a hands-on leader. “I have the COPE Unit on speed dial,” he said. “I always want to know what’s going on.”
Raber has held various positions with the department including nine years as a patrol officer in the 3rd Precinct, a sergeant in the 4th, and a lieutenant in the 1st. He served in the Emergency Services Unit and was a deputy inspector with the Special Patrol Bureau. He most recently transferred from police headquarters in Yaphank. He took over from the former inspector, William Doherty, who received a promotion.
The 55-year-old police veteran studied Criminal Justice at SUNY Brockport and attended high school in Northport. His first police beat was with the MTA at Penn Station. “I look forward to collaborating with the civic members to address community problems,” the new inspector said, noting that he was hosting a community meeting at the precinct headquarters on William Floyd Parkway the following day. “We will review specific crimes, statistics, and whatever else is brought to our attention,” Raber said.
Aside from being a hub for the local police patrol, the precinct is home to the Neighborhood Watch Program, Precinct Crime Section, Community Oriented Police Enforcement (COPE), and the Community Liaison Officer. The Precinct Crime Section is responsible for investigating most misdemeanor and violation offenses along with domestic incident complaints. Certain misdemeanor and violation offenses are investigated by the precinct’s detective squad. County Executive Edward Romaine recently announced the promotion of 24 detectives and a number of leadership changes within the department, a move he said will reduce crime in the county.
The 7th Precinct encompasses the eastern most sections of Brookhaven Town to the Riverhead and Southampton Town lines, including Mastic-Shirley, the area of concern for the Pattersquash Civic.
The new 7th Precinct Inspector, Donald Raber