Reorganization Should Saves Lives, Taxpayer Dollars

County Executive Ed Mangano announced the signing of two executive orders returning both fleet management and information technology responsibilities to Nassau's police department.
 
Upon taking office, Mangano was told about ambulance repairs being delayed and ordered a full review of the operation that combines Public Works and Police Department functions. Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey reported that the merger, initiated and completed by the Suozzi administration, did not enhance savings or efficiency.
 
"This is not just a dollars and sense issue," Mangano said. "It is a public safety issue."

Mangano said the most alarming statistic was that the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) had 1,000 occasions where there was no working ambulance available at a post and the call went instead to another post or to the fire department. Those delays resulted in increased response times to emergency calls and cost the police about $2 million in lost revenue.
 
"It was an impairment of operations," NCPD Chief Tom Krumpter said. "The department will now be able to prioritize maintenance and repair of the vehicles according to operational needs."
 
Last year, Nassau County had $19.5 million in ambulance revenue.
 
"The police department knows how to run its business, and it makes sense for the taxpayers to have control of their own fleet and IT operations," Mangano said. "The prior administration miscalculated those considerations when they attempted this consolidation."