Bellone On Quality of Life Cases;
"We Need A Community Court"
Babylon Court to Address Serial Code Offenders; Will Be First of Its Kind in New York State
(Tuesday, December 3, 2002, North Lindenhurst, New York): Babylon Town Supervisor Steven Bellone today called for the formation of a Town of Babylon Community Court. Surrounded by civic leaders and community members, Bellone stressed that a Community Court that hears only quality of life cases will force serial code offenders to comply with town codes. The Community Court - which requires State enabling legislation in order to function - would be the first of its kind in New York State.
"Individuals who consistently violate town codes show a complete disregard for their neighbors and for our community," said Bellone. "Some of these cases have dragged on for more than 10 years. It's time we put a stop to their abuse."
Bellone said that some examples of quality of life issues include: abandoned cars stored in front yards, auto-body repair shops operated in residential neighborhoods, out of control debris that presents health problems to residents, and illegal rentals.
The formation of the Community Court is not the only arsenal that Bellone plans to use in his fight against repeat code offenders. "Today, I am also announcing the formation of a Quality of Life Task Force," said Bellone. Jack Farrell, the town's current Director of Public Safety, will serve as the director of the task force, reporting directly to Bellone. Farrell is a 20 year veteran of the New York City police department, having served 17 of those years as detective.
"A special prosecutor who will only prosecute quality of life cases will complete our 'three court press' on these violators," said Bellone. "That person will be based in my office and will report directly to me. My orders to the special prosecutor will be to go after these serial code offenders until they are in full compliance with the law."
At present, town code cases are heard in District Court. The Court, which is the busiest in New York State, is overburdened with cases. Bellone said his proposal will benefit both the District Court and the Town of Babylon. "The Community Court will relieve some of the burden on the District Court, and at the same time it will allow us to focus more on quality of life issues," said Bellone.
Residents can log onto the town's web site at www.townofbabylon.com. On the home page, there is a section about the Community Court. Residents can then click onto the 'court' icon and they will go to a petition that calls for the creation of a Community Court. "The more community support we have for this initiative, the better chance we have to get it up and running," said Bellone. "I urge residents to sign the Town of Babylon Community Court petition," said Bellone. "It's the start of a better quality of life for all of us."
