We, the concerned residents of Coram and surrounding communities, urgently call for the immediate removal of all probation services from 65 Middle Country Road, Coram, NY. This petition is a united appeal to restore our community’s integrity, safety, and the vision that was originally promised for this location. The site at 65 Middle Country Road (the former 6th Police Precinct) was meant to serve as a positive community resource, not a hub for county-wide probation check-ins. We insist that Suffolk County relocate these probation offices to a more appropriate, secluded location away from Coram’s residential neighborhoods and business district.

Background & Problem:

In 2006, the Town of Brookhaven adopted the Middle Country Road Land Use Plan, which designated the old 6th Precinct property for use as a community center to benefit local families and residents. This plan reflected the community’s needs and was intended to revitalize Coram’s main street with a family-friendly facility. Instead of honoring this plan, Suffolk County unilaterally repurposed the site as “Public Safety Offices” – a misleading label that in reality refers to a Probation Department office. The signage on the building says “Community Public Safety,” which has been deceptive, masking the true nature of the facility. The community was never given the promised center; instead, we got a probation office by stealth, directly contradicting the 2006 land use plan and the community’s expectations.

As a result of this inappropriate use, Coram’s main business corridor is suffering. Ever since probation services began operating at this address, residents and local businesses have observed a noticeable increase in vagrancy and loitering along Middle Country Road. Individuals on probation – many of whom live outside our hamlet – must travel to this office for their check-ins. With nowhere else to go in the area and being barred from accessing nearby social services, they remain in the vicinity before and after their probation appointments. This has led to groups of idle individuals lingering in shopping centers, parking lots, and public spaces in Coram. Local shop owners and patrons have reported feeling unsafe due to congregations of people who have no ties to the community waiting around for long periods. What was once envisioned as a community hub has now become a magnet for social problems that detract from local quality of life and commerce on our main street.

Discrepancies and Deception:

Suffolk County officials have attempted to downplay the impact of this probation office in Coram, but their statements do not match reality. On record, county representatives have stated that this site is “rarely used for walk-in visits” and even suggested that any vagrants present were there because of a food distribution event in the parking lot – implying the issue is charitable services, not the probation office itself. We know this is not true. Coram residents constantly observe individuals coming and going specifically for probation-related matters. The discrepancy between official claims and on-the-ground reality is alarming and suggests an effort to mislead the community about the facility’s true usage.

In fact, a recent Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request* by the Coram Civic Association uncovered documentation that exposes the full scope of operations at 65 Middle Country Road. According to county records, this location employs 24 full-time probation officers and 5 support staff – a substantial presence that is far from a “rarely used” satellite. Over time, the services at this office have expanded, and it now functions as a full-time probation center serving a large number of clients daily. These facts contradict any notion that it’s a minor or infrequently used facility. The claim that loiterers are only present due to a food handout is a red herring; the volume of probation staff and clients alone explains the increased pedestrian traffic and loitering in our town. The county’s lack of transparency about this is unacceptable and further erodes trust with the community.

*See FOIL Request Below

 

Why This Location Is Inappropriate:

Almost all other Suffolk County probation offices are deliberately located in remote, non-residential areas or within secure government complexes – for example, in isolated office parks, or adjacent to court buildings and police precincts. Those locations were chosen to minimize impact on residential neighborhoods and local businesses, and to ensure that probation activities occur in appropriate settings. Coram’s probation office is the glaring exception. It sits right in the heart of a main street business district and directly borders quiet residential streets where families live. This placement is utterly inconsistent with standard practices and with basic considerations for community welfare. Coram is a middle-class, family-oriented community; the residents here do not require local probation services, as evidenced by the fact that virtually none of the probation clients are from Coram. By situating this facility here, the County has effectively imported a stream of convicted offenders into our neighborhood on a daily basis. People convicted of crimes from all across Suffolk County have been coming into Coram for their probation check-ins. This is unfair and unsafe for our community. We bear the negative effects (loitering, potential crime, decline in property values) of a facility that serves people from other areas, while gaining none of the benefits that were supposed to come from the originally planned community center. No other community in Suffolk County has a full-scale probation office placed in the middle of its commercial/residential area – why should Coram be the only one? This situation sets a troubling double standard and treats Coram as a dumping ground for services that other communities refuse in their own backyards.

Furthermore, the presence of a probation office at this location undermines ongoing revitalization efforts. Community leaders and businesses have been working hard to improve Coram’s image, attract quality development, and make Main Street (Middle Country Road) a pleasant destination. Those efforts cannot succeed when a County facility draws transient populations of probationers and creates a perception that Coram is rife with vagrancy and crime. Families are less inclined to use the library, shop at local stores, or allow their kids to walk around downtown when they feel unsafe or see groups of unsupervised individuals loitering. The probation office’s location is directly counterproductive to Coram’s growth and stability.

Our Demand – Remove Probation Services from Coram:

We hereby demand that Suffolk County immediately and completely remove all probation services and offices from 65 Middle Country Road, Coram, NY. This means shuttering the probation department operations at this site and relocating them to an appropriate facility in a non-residential, low-foot-traffic area (such as an existing government campus or a professional office park well away from town centers). The County should act without delay to fulfill the original intent for this property – whether that means transferring it to the Town of Brookhaven for a true community center as planned, or otherwise repurposing it in a way that benefits the Coram community instead of harming it.

We urge Suffolk County officials to acknowledge the community’s grievances and correct this mistake now. The safety and quality of life of Coram residents must no longer be compromised by the improper siting of a county probation facility. We expect our local government to respect community-based plans and treat Coram with the same consideration given to other Suffolk neighborhoods. Removing the probation office from this location is not only the logical step – it is a matter of fairness, common sense, and respect for our community’s well-being.

In conclusion, we, the undersigned residents and supporters, insist that Suffolk County take immediate action to close and relocate the probation offices at 65 Middle Country Road. We will not tolerate our community’s needs being ignored and our streets turned into unofficial waiting areas for a county-wide probation program. Coram deserves the community center it was promised and a safe, thriving Main Street free from this inappropriate burden.

We demand a prompt response and tangible action to remove the probation services from our midst. It is time to restore 65 Middle Country Road to its rightful purpose and protect the character and security of Coram. We stand united in this petition and will continue to rally for this change until our voices are heard and this probation facility is removed from our town.