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Police Department
See also Tax Issues for
a discussion of police overtime.
August 5, 2008
Neighborhood Watch Program. Police Chief McMahon encouraged residents to
form neighborhood watch programs in an effort to prevent burglaries from
happening. Residents interested in setting up a program can call the
department at 962-3856 for assistance.
Grant for
police motorcycles
July 8, 2008 work session
Listed on the agenda was a discussion of a request from the Police Department
to authorize the supervisor to sign an agreement with the NYS Div. Of
Criminal Justice Services for a $30,000 grant toward the purchase of
motorcycle vehicles and related supplies.
At the request of Councilman Campisi, the pending
resolution was removed from the agenda and will be discussed at a future
board meeting before any action is taken.
August 12, 2008, work
session
Police Chief Dan McMahon discussed a $30,000 grant he has been able to obtain
from the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services to purchase two
motorcycles that would replace two existing police cars that have more than
120,000 miles each on them. He noted that the department did not get any new
cars in 2006 and 2008. The motorcycles could be used for traffic detail when
the temperature was above 34 degrees; to patrol areas of the town were cars
cannot go (parks, bike paths, etc.); and for ceremonial parades. The
motorcycle patrolmen would follow the same pursuit guidelines in effect for
patrol cars.
The chief emphasized that there would be no cost to the town and that there
would be no overtime costs when two patrolmen went for special training,
available at no cost, from either the Yonkers
or Stamford, CT police department. The PBA will donate
helmets and jackets. He said that the town's insurance carrier has told him
that there would be no increase in coverage because of the motorcycles.
In response to Councilman Metz's question whether getting the two motorcycles
would affect his request for new vehicles in the 2009 budget, the chief said
he would probably reduce his request to three new cars from four. He cited
the heavy use that the department's cars get and the fact that there are
always backup cars waiting to be repaired. He said that one of these cars
would be used during cold weather when the motorcycles could not be used.
Councilman Martorano said he saw no downside to the
idea.
The chief will repeat his presentation at the next regular board meeting as
two councilman were not present at the work session.
The chief needs the board's okay to accept the grant.
April 29, 2009, work
session
Police Chief Dan McMahon advised the board that the $30,000 grant he had
secured for two motorcycles was about to expire and he asked the board to
reconsider its earlier rejection of the grant. He reaffirmed that the
purchase would have zero cost impact on the town.
The board said it would approve the request for the grant at next week's
meeting if the Chief provided written documentation agreeing to the following
stipulations
1. repairs would be done at no charge by a local
provider
2. the PBA would provide most of any required
equipment or gear (The Chief did say it might cost the town about $100 for
some equipment.)
3. There would be no overtime involved when the officers would go for a one
week training course
4. there would be written rules and guidelines
covering when and how the motorcycles would be used. The board wanted it made
clear that they would not be used, except with the chief's permission, for
parade duty, escort service or funeral or wedding details. The board alluded
to a prior incident where an off duty officer, using a patrol car while not
on official business had an accident involving the car.
(Note: At the May 5, 2009
meeting, the board approved advertising for bids for the motorcycles. See
also additional May 5, 2009 comments below.) The bid was awarded on May 19,
2009.
Miscellaneous other issues
August 19, 2008
The following officers were sworn in:
Brian Shanahan, Detective
Angel Garcia, Police Officer
Anthony DiPietrantonio, Police Officer
Also, Tom Nadoraski, and Brian Mundy were
designated School District Resource Officers.
In other actions, the board voted to
authorize the supervisor to renew an existing contract for the police
department to lease telephone and switching equipment. The $30,720 covers the
five year contract.
November 25, 2008, work session
Auxiliary Police
Rick Davin, Auxiliary Police Captain gave the board an update
on his group's activities. He said that the four active members put in
approximately 1,000 volunteers hours this year doing traffic and crowd
control at 19 or 20 public events.
Mr. Davin explained that most of the money
allocated to the group, approximately $7500 a year, went to maintain its three
vehicles which are cars that have been “retired” from the police
department. The group has been recycling the same uniforms for 20 years. The
group's 2009 budget was slightly reduced.
The group welcomes new volunteers who must be 21 years old. Although each
volunteer is encouraged to devote 52 hours a quarter to auxiliary police
duties, Mr. Davin said that that amount of time was
not a firm requirement.
January 27, 2009, Town
Board work session
Bid for police cars
Although not explained so that those in the audience could clearly hear,
it seemed that the bid would be for a consortium of municipalities and not
necessarily for Yorktown purchase. The only
issue discussed was the Fleet Committee's request that it prepare the specs.
Instead, the board decided that police cars were special and that the bid
would be prepared by the town clerk. The bids will be advertised at the Feb
3rd meeting.
February 3,
2009
The board approved the labor contract with the Superior Officers Association.
March 3, 2009
School Resource Officer
During Courtesy of the Floor, Ed Ciffone
objected to the town spending money to hire a new police officer to serve as
a school resource officer. (Later in the meeting, the board appointed Kenneth
Sgroi as a new police officer to serve as a school
resource officer.)
In response, Councilman Martorano
defended the program as one of the town's most successful programs. He said
that former students have told him that the program made a real difference in
their lives. He added that the town was monitoring the school districts'
payments for its share of the cost of the program.
June 2, 2009
Ed Ciffone questioned the need for the four school
resource officers, paid in part by the town, the two school districts and the
Town of Cordtlandt.
In response, Councilmen Martorano and Metz, and a homeowner
all supported the program.
March 24, 2009, work session
Police Finger Printing Equipment
Although not on the agenda, Police Chief Dan McMahon reported to the board
that as of December 31, 2009, the state will no longer accept paper finger
print cards. Instead they will be switching to a live scan system that will
transmit prints digitally to Albany.
The chief has obtained a $17,380 federal grant to offset a portion of the
$30,000 it will cost to purchase the lilve scan
system. He requested board permission to transfer $11,000 in his budget set
aside for part time help to cover the bulk of the remaining cost. The town
approved the transfer. The chief explained that Yorktown was one of only two
municipalities in Westchester not to have
such a system. While the town could avail itself of the system in neighboring
towns a few times a week, he said that the town did 600-700 finger prints
each year so that it was not feasible to ask favors of the neighboring towns
or drive down county to use other equipment.
With the new system, the chief expects that Albany will be able to send rap sheets in
response to finger print match requests within an hour compared to the
previous two week wait.
Director of Labor Operations Eric DiBartolo noted
that the part time help was for building maintenance at the police station
but that if the chief needed assistance he would try to help out with staff
from other departments even though a worker in the highway department will be
out for a while due to hip surgery.
April 21, 2009 Merger with county
police
Commenting on the news item released earlier in the day that Supervisor
Peters and County Executive Andrew Spano
had initiated a study of the possible merger of the Yorktown and county
police departments, Mark Drexel said the issue should not be about economics
but about public safety. He cited the benefits of community policing and said
he didn't think it would be a good idea to give up local control of public
safety concerns. He urged the board to use common sense in reviewing the
issue and asked who would be making any final decision about the possible
merger, the town board or a voter referendum. He also wanted to know what the
cost of the study was going to be.
In response, Supervisor Peters said that the suggestion was his idea and that
it had not been discussed with the town board. Noting that he is a former
police officer and that both his son and son-in-law are on the Yorktown police force, he said he took “full
blame” on the issue. He added that a county committee would be studying
the issue, with input from the Yorktown
police, and that the review was in the very beginning stages. He said the
merger might save the town a couple of million dollars.
Councilman Martorano said he had just heard about
the idea and that it had not been discussed at a work session. He said he
favors local control and doesn't want to “mess with success” even
if it costs more money. He added that the town board should discuss the issue
further.
Councilman Metz also said that he didn't know anything about the proposal and
that he believed in community policing, adding that “No one on this
board has said it's a good idea.” He said any merger plan would be
subject to a permissive referendum.
April 21, 2009: See also Miscellaneous Tax and
Spending Issues for other discussions regarding police salaries.
May 5, 2009
During Courtesy of the Floor, Ed Ciffone
of Dunning Dr
said he thinks Yorktown should keep its own
police department, but argued that the Town could get three police officers
each from the County and the State. He also said he thought motorcycles
for the police department are a bad idea, citing how dangerous they are and
associated Town liability, limited time they can be used and cost to the Town
when the original grant runs out.
Police Chief McMahon rebutted that it would cost Yorktown
$600,000 to get three police officers from the County, while we do get
support services at no cost. He said the State absolutely will not
provide manpower to patrol in Yorktown.
The Chief said there will be rules and regulations about the use of the
police motorcycles. They will not be used in bad weather, officers will be trained in motorcycle use and this
will not involve any overtime. The motorcycles will be used in traffic
enforcement and as radar vehicles.
May 19, 2009
Mark Drexel presented the board with photos of both the NYS police barracks
in Cortlandt and the Westchester County Police Department
office in Cortlandt, both of which showed locked
doors with either a button or call box for people to use if they needed help.
Saying that this was not the kind of police service that Yorktown
wanted, he told the board, “enough is enough.”
Nick DiTomaso stated that the county study was just
a study and that ultimately it would be up to the people to decide if they
were for or against the merger in a referendum. He suggested that there were
other issues that the town should be talking about.
Tony Grasso asked about the status of the local committee that was supposed
to study the merger issue that Supervisor Peters said he was going to set up.
He also called on the town to drop the merger idea saying that the local
department would do a better job.
In response, Councilman Bianco said he agreed with
both Mr. Drexel and Mr. Grasso that a merger with the county was not a good
idea. Supervisor Peters said that the study was only a county study and that
if the people didn't want it, it would end there.
September 22, 2009, work session
Police investigation
fund
At the request of Police
Chief McMahon, the board authorized an additional $1,000 in a special fund
that the police use when they have to spend money as part of investigations,
e.g., drug buys. The board cut the 2009 budget to $1,000 from $4,000 and the
chief explained that officers were now laying out their own money.
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