Residents in Syosset made their voices heard Monday night at a community meeting to address multiple burglaries and break-ins that have happened in the area.

Earlier this month, 12 businesses were burglarized in one night. Police later apprehended five young people who live at MercyFirst, a residential foster care program for troubled youth. Mercy First has offered to pay for damages and is closing down the foster program.

However, residents say the amount of car break-ins and other minor crimes is just unacceptable.

Court Cousins, from the North Syosset Civic Association, says residents were stunned when a dozen businesses were broken into earlier this month. Cousins says in Syosset and other areas across Long Island, there have been multiple break-ins, thefts of catalytic converters and burglaries. He says even as security video records suspicious behavior the break-ins seem to happen at night and even during the day.

As News 12 has reported, these kinds of crimes have been on the rise across Long Island.

"It's been a continuing problem in a variety of different neighborhoods," says Cousins. "It's not isolated to just one area."

Nassau Legislator Josh Lafazan says he hopes police can get the upper hand.

"We need to increase focus on Syosset and Woodbury, it's time," says Lafazan. "It's past time. I know the community has lost patience. I have lost patience."

Lafazan says MercyFirst declined to come to the meeting.

A spokesperson for MercyFirst issued a statement saying, "As we have previously shared with the community, we are closing our residential foster care program, which has generated all of the complaints to the police and this closedown process is almost complete. MercyFirst did inform the legislator’s office that due to end of school year activities on this the last day of school for our city based program there were multiple scheduling conflicts."