2 Parking Enforcement Aides Awarded by American Legion

Agents Koren Urquhart (L) and Melanie Emmons (R)

MERRICK- Nassau County Parking Enforcement Aides Koren Urquhart and Melanie Emmons received awards from the American Legion Post 1282 on March 9 in regards to recently aiding in arrests in their respective precincts.  They received the “Law and Order” award along with other law enforcement officials from the MTA and New York State Police, as well as Merrick and North Merrick Fire Departments, and Bellmore/Merrick E.M.S.

Urquhart, a 13 year veteran from the 7th precinct, was awarded for a February 7 incident at the Wantagh train station.  She was handling her duties of issuing summonses in the train station’s parking lot when she saw a person leaning into the vehicle with a shattered window.  The man then approached Urquhart in her car, and said that someone had broken into his friend’s car.  She then ordered the man back to his car, and made transmission for backup. 

When officers arrived, they searched the man’s car and found a Sirius Satellite Radio, two GPS units, a radar detector and other devices totaling $3500. 

Emmons, a Parking Enforcement Aide for 3 years, aided in her arrest on January 15.  She was in a dead end parking lot while a car whipped around the corner with 2 young men in it, and Emmons immediately wrote down the license plate number.  She proceeded west on Sunrise Highway and found the same car, called for backup, and officers found a bumper and two radios in his car. 

This is not the first time that Urquhart, Emmons, or any of the other 7 Nassau County Parking Enforcement Aides have dealt with situations like this.  Urquhart said she has aided in at least 3 arrests in her career, not to mention frequently calling in suspicious cases, car accidents, and advising police on potentially dangerous situations.  All aides engage in these activities on a daily basis.

They are even asked to go before grand jury on some of these cases, including a August 2006 situation where Emmons observed a man leaving a vehicle with a smashed window. The man was caught after leading police on a chase and was arrested.

“You really have to be aware of your surroundings in this job,” Urquhart said.  So the position requires a great deal of smarts to avoid danger and contact police officers in a timely manner when needed.

Emmons and Urquhart were extremely honored to have received the awards.  They both said, “The awards were especially heartwarming because it was given to us by veterans.”