New Security at Farmingdale Pharmacy

Supervising Pharmacist  senses customer fear after a year that included two deadly pharmacy incidents on Long Island.

"I have people call up for refills and say 'it’s getting dark, I won't pick up until tomorrow,'" Eckstrand said. "The people are afraid to come in at night because they think there is a greater chance of something happening then."

Following June's  that left two pharmacy employees and two customers dead and this month's robbery in Seaford that killed , Moby Drugs has made security a priority.

"We installed video cameras throughout the store, eight circular cameras," Eckstrand said. "A major thing we did was take a 52-inch television screen and put it above the register, so an alleged robber would see himself and realize that he's being recorded. We feel people don’t notice cameras because they are commonplace, but that when you see yourself on screen it's a deterant."

Moby Drugs has been a Main Street staple in Farmingdale since 1935 and part-owner Ekstrand has been the supervising pharmacist there for 30 years. Eckstrand said that the pharmacy gets no less than a dozen calls per week asking if the pharmacy carries drugs like Oxycontin or Oxycodone.

"We explain that because of the involvement of those drugs in the shootings we no longer carry the product," he said.

Eckstrand said he hopes authorities strictly enforce the Rockefeller laws, statutes that punish for the illegal sale and possession of narcotic drugs.

"We are concerned about the safety of our customers," he said. "Only one employee has been injured in all of the incidents, it's mostly innocent people. It’s everyone’s safety."