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PLAINVIEW PLA1NEDGE SEAFORD
VOL. 13 NO. 27
i/}y
Ambro Pushes:
Fair & Speedy Trials
In testimony Friday, May 4, at
a special federal hearing in
Hauppauge on the creation of a
separate U.S. judicial district for
Nassau and Suffolk Counties,
Congressman Jerome A. Ambro
revealed new statistical in­formation
which refutes previous
claims that litigants and defend­ants
are receiving "fair and
speedy" trials under the present
federal court structure on Long
Island. The statistics, Ambro
said, point dramatically to the
.need for rapid approval of a new
judicial district for Long Island.
Ambro (3rd-N.Y.), the sponsor
of pending legislation in Congress
authorizing a new district,
initiated last week's hearing by
the Administrative Office of the
U.S. Courts in Washington. That
office is conducting a one-year
feasibility study of the Ambro
bill, a review called for in
legislation requested by the Long
Island lawmaker and passed by
Congress last year.
The Ambro bill would divide
the present Eastern Judicial Dis­trict
which now includes Staten
Island, Brooklyn, Queens,
Nassau and Suffolk Counties,
giving the bi-county area its own
judicial district, U.S. Attorney
and support staff. The Eastern
District now is the third most
populous of the 94 judicial dis­tricts
in the nation with more
than 7.4 million people.
The lead witness at last week's
proceeding, Ambro was followed
by 26 Long Islanders from the
legal, judicial, govermental,
business, academic and public
interest sectors, including the
presidents of the Nassau and
Suffolk Bar Associations, all of
whom testified in support of the
legislation.
Citing previously undisclosed
figure, Ambro pointed out that
since January 1st, an average of
40% of pending criminal cases in
the Eastern District exceeded the
federally-mandated time allowed
for bringing a defendant to trial.
In February, for example, in 96
cases pending in the Eastern
District, 44 of these defendants
were awaiting trial longer than
the 80 days allowed after arraign­ment
under terms of the 1975
Speedy Trial Act.
"This means," Ambro testis
fied, "two of every five defen­dants
awaiting justice in the
Eastern District this year were
denied their constitutional right
to a speedy trial, as defined by
existing law."
At the end of the last judicial
term in December, "the 731 cases
pending at that time surpassed
the 705 cases pending in the more
active Southern District and
represents one of the highest
criminal backlogs in the nation,"
the third-term Congressman told
U.S. Judge Howard Markey, who
presided over the hearing.
Ambro also said he had learned
that under a new policy, the
existing federal courtroom in
Westbury, with one federal
judge, will now receive 15% of the
criminal filings in the Eastern
District, up from the 2% to 3%
that it has traditionally received.
"Can the Westbury court deal
with 15% of the Eastern District
(Continuedon Page 8)
Federal Court For LI
Urged By Carmen
Two Oyster Bay Town Coun-cilmen
today (Friday, May 4,
1979) joined the many advocates
in supporting a proposal to have
Long Island established as a
separate federal judicial district
with its own federal court.
At hearings conducted by the
Administrative Office of the U.S.
Courts, Town Councilmen
Gregory W. Carman ofFarm-ingdale
and Thomas Clark of
Hicksville both reviewed the
statistics that clearly indicate the
need for separation of Nassau
and Suffolk from the current
Eastern District of New York
which includes Staten Island,
Brooklyn and Queens.
In prepared remarks ex­pressing
both his support for the
proposal and his desire to have
Hicksville considered as a site for
the Court, Councilman Clark
noted that population alone
seems to demand the separation
of the Nassau-Suffolk area and
that Hicksville would be the
population center of Long Island.
Clark further noted that
Hicksville was already the center
of mass transit as it exists on
Long Island, pointing to Long
Island Railroad statistics which
indicate that Hicksville is the
most heavily used station in the
two counties.
Councilman Carman, in his
statement at the hearing, in­dicated
that the number of people
expected to be served by the
existing federa^ court -- about 7.5
million - almost exemplifies
justice that is denied under the
basic principle of law that justice
delayed is justice denied.
Carman pointed out that with
the average federal court district
handling a population of about
half a million, "it seems obvious
that one district serving 15 times
that many people cannot be doing
it effectively or efficiently.
Certainly, with two-and-a-half
million people, Nassau and
Suffolk should have its own
facility. I believe justice
demands it," Carman concluded.
The entire Oyster Bay Town
Board had previously indicated
its support of the separation
proposal.
Thursday, May 10,1979
Award For
Edith laleggio
Recipient of the Nassau Bar
Association's 1979 Liberty Bell
Award for community service
was Edith C. laleggio, APR, of
Plainview, Director of Public
Relations for WLIW / CHAN­NEL
21. The award presentation
was made at the Association's
Law Day luncheon on May 1 by
Edwin J. Freedman, president of
the organization. Mrs. laleggio
also delivered the luncheon
address.
In presenting the award,
Freedman cited the recipient's
leadership in professional
communications and public
relations organizations,
nationally and locally, and her
volunteer service in youth, health
and other community groups,
including United Way, American
Heart Association, Nassau
County Office of Volunteer
Services,, American Red Cross,
PTA, Boy Scouts of America and
Our Lady of Mercy Parish in
Hicksville.
In her luncheon address, Mrs.
laleggio focused on public
relations for the legal profession.
Lawyers who appear in the
courts for decisions in legal
matters must go to the public for
a positive view of their
profession, she said. To ac­complish
this, lawyers must have
an understanding of, and be
sensitive to, the needs of the
public, and be able to com­municate
to the public how those
needs may be met.
Past recipients of the Nassau
Bar Association Liberty Bell
Award include the Most
Reverend Walter J. Kellenberg,
former Bishop of the Diocese of
Rockville Centre, and David
Starr, publisher of the Long
Island Press.
Mrs. laleggio, who served as
president of the Long Island
Communicators Associ­ation
/ International Association
of business communicators is
currently a board member of that
organization.
Sewer
Complaints
The final restoration phase in
the area covered by sewer
contract 1002-3-L-3 is now un­derway
and residents are urged
to call Ralph Papa at 938-7124
weekdays from 8 A.M. to 4:30
P.M. if they have any complaints
about sidewalks, curbs, aprons or
grass they believe were damaged
by the sewer construction. All
complaints must be in by May 25,
1979, so that investigations may
be made and action taken if
warranted.
The contract is bounded on the
east by the Seaford-Oyster Bay
Expressway, on the south by
Hempstead Turnpike, on the west
by Wantagh Avenue and on the
north by Harrison Avenue,
Central Avenue and the Long
Island Railroad.
10 cents per copy
Photos-In-The-News
SEAFORD SOUNDS: Hempstead Town Presiding Supervisor Al
D'A ma to (2nd from left), Hempstead Town Clerk Nathan
L.H.Bennett (left) and Hempstead Town Councilman Peter King
(far right) are on hand to present a citation to Joseph Manso,
director and conductor of the Sea ford High School Band upon their
triumphal return from an international music competition in
Belgium. The band took firs place honors and Band members, in­cluding
drum major Patricia blaurock (2nd from right) were
presented gold medals. The Town's honors came on the heels of an
outpouring of community affection for the band following their
return to Seaford High School.
Marino Expands Victims
Right To Sue
Under a bill sponsored by State
Senator Ralph J. Marino,
Chairman of the Committee on
Crime and Correction, victims
who are physically injured by
prison escapees or other persons
on temporary leave from state
detention facilities will find it
easier to sue the state. The bill
requires the state to notify the
victim that the attacker was
supposed to be in the custody of a
state agency. It also exempts
such victims from the 90 day
statute of limitations so that if he
attacker is not apprehended until
after the time restriction, the
victim does not lose the right to
sue the state for damages.
Marino said the need for the
proposal grew out of his com­mittee's
discovery last year that
several escapees and dangerous
youths on leaves from Division
for Youth facilities had com­mitted
violent crimes while free.
"In such circumstances," said
Marino, "unless the attacker's
arrest is accompanied by wide
publicity, there is no way for the
victim to know that the state was
accountable for that person's
whereabouts.
"In two cases now pending
against the Division for Youth,
vicious crimes were committed
by two youths who were allowed
home visits, even though they
were known to be dangerous.
This bill, then, will also force
officials to think twice before
considering temporarily
releasing a dangerous criminal
(Continued on Page 3)
Police Officers Memorial Day
In keeping with a tradition
started in 1963 by the late
President John F. Kennedy,
Nassau County Police Com­missioner
Samuel J. Rozzi an­nounced
today that on May 15, the
Department will observe Peace
Officers Memorial Day.
Memorial Services will be held in
front of Police Headquarters in
Mineola beginning at 9:30 a.m.
for deceased members of the
Department.
In announcing Police Memorial
Day Rozzi said, "It is fitting and
proper that members of the
Department and the community
take this time to pay tribute to the
men and women who have given
their lives so that we can live in a
community where it is safe to
raise our families."
Representatives of depart­mental
line organizations will
place floral wreaths at the
memorial stone by the flagpole in
front of Police Headquarters. In
attendance will be County
Executive Francis T. Purcell and
members of the Board of
Supervisors. In the event of in­clement
weather the services will
be held in the Department's
assembly hall.
The day is part of Police Week
which is celebrated throughout
the nation by presidential
proclamation. County Executive
Purcell has proclaimed May 13
through May 19 as the official
period honoring police in Nassau.
The public and their families
are cordially invited to attend.