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Dionne Levine grew up in the city and moved to East Moriches in 1956. She has lived in East Moriches and Center Moriches for over 50 years. She taught in the Center Moriches Schools and owned the Bailstone Flower Shoppe and raised her children in East Moriches from 1956-1980.

During the 1960's or 1970's there were many problems that arose. There was an East Moriches arsonist that set fire to the East Moriches School, Fire House, and a couple of other public buildings. Racial problems also arose as people moved in from NewYork City.

Conrad and Judy Kreuter have been running Moriches Boat and Motor since 1989. “There was not much difference in our town twenty years ago, [there are] more people now and certainly the growth is a good thing for us and we’ve developed into a great community” says Conrad.

Moriches Boat and Motor repairs and sells motors and parts for boats. Robert Wood was the previous owner and he passed his regular customers to the Kreuters. Many of these long time customers are still with them today. It is much harder to make a dollar today than it was twenty years ago. There is more competition today and it’s harder to make a sale because not many people have time to enjoy the hobby of boating. There is competition from other businesses, but, the real competition is the other recreational activities that people are involved in, such as golf and camping. The average price of a boat at Moriches Boat and Motor starts at $20,000 and goes up to $130,000. The brands that they carry consist of Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Evinrude, and Mercury. Suzuki motors are currently the most popular models; they have become considerably more popular than American brands.

In the United States, full time law enforcement did not begin until the mid-1800s. The first police forces were started in New York and in Boston. New York’s first police force was created in 1845. There has been as police presence in Center Moriches since at least the 1940s when Brookhaven Town had its own police force. The local substation still covers the same amount of territory, however, the number of residents has increased. The population growth has brought about an increase in crime, and more incidents are reported. Currently, the Suffolk County Police District covers the five western towns of Suffolk County (Center Moriches is included in this coverage) while the Suffolk County Sheriff covers the entire county.

Joseph E Townsend Jr., a security guard at Center Moriches High School, is a retired police officer. He notes that there have not been many changes in law enforcement since he began his career as a Deputy Sheriff Investigator. Mr. Townsend grew up in Center Moriches and was in the United States Army. He became a police officer in the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department on January 30, 1967, and held that position for over 29 years.