Opponents voice concern

YORKTOWN – Back in April a plan was unveiled to form a committee to investigate the validity of consolidating Yorktown’s police services with Westchester County’s Public Safety Department. But the plan has not moved forward and many questions remained unanswered.
Supervisor Don Peters unveiled the idea of consolidation, saying that he had contacted County Executive Andy Spano, requesting the formation of a committee to investigate the idea.
Spano would not comment on the issue and referred all inquiries to county Communications Director Donna Green and county Public Safety Department Communications Officer Kieran O’Leary.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Greene said the idea to form a committee was entirely at Yorktown’s request.

“That’s not his [Spano’s] idea whatsoever,” Greene said.
In April, Peters said that if a study proved that the town would save money through consolidation he would involve residents, police and others in the process to determine if consolidation was the best option for the town.

“In this economy, we have to find new ways to save money and I believe we can save our taxpayers millions of dollars by consolidating our police services with the county’s resources,” Peters said during an April press conference, adding that the town currently has a police budget of approximately $9 million.

Later, in a guest commentary published in the April 29 edition of the North County News, Peters wrote, “The ONLY thing that is going to happen right now is a review of budgets, reports and other information by public and law enforcement officials from Yorktown and the county to determine whether this is even a viable option. And this study costs us nothing.”

No joint committee of Yorktown and county police officials has been formed, according to both Peters and county public safety officials. O’Leary said the department is researching the issue internally, but no committee exists.

“We are currently collecting financial and other information about the operations of the Yorktown Police Department,” O’Leary said. “This process is still in the early stages.”
O’Leary added that there is no timetable or timeframe as to when the county will be completed with its review.

“I really don’t know anything,” Peters said. “It’s only a study on their end to see if it’s feasible. We haven’t jumped in yet because we don’t know if it will work.”
Peters said that a committee would only be created if the county’s current study resulted in consolidation being a valid option.

“If they kill it and say it’s no good, then that’s it,” Peters said.
While there is no committee for consolidation, there is a committee in place to oppose it. The Committee to Keep Our Police Department Local is chaired by residents Tony Grasso and Chris Wallace.

The committee has come out with a report which uses neighboring Cortlandt to show why consolidation won’t work.

Cortlandt’s deal
Cortlandt has been served by the county since 1997. According to O’Leary, Cortlandt pays $608,000 annually to the county for four Westchester police officers. Prior to consolidation, the town police was made up of 10 officers, a police chief and four dispatchers with a budget of $1.5 million, as well as additional monies toward equipment, vehicles and their maintenance.
The Yorktown police department currently employees 58 individuals and has a budget of approximately $9 million.

What makes Cortlandt unique is the presence of the state police, although Wappinger Falls in Dutchess County has similar agreements with the state and county police, Cortlandt did not even have a town police force until 1980, relying solely on state patrols. According to Supervisor Linda Puglisi’s office, Cortlandt does not pay the state for the troopers. Cortlandt built the new state trooper barracks at the Cortlandt train station in Montrose. The state police pay an annual rent on the new building of $80,000 that covers the town’s total annual debt payment for the building’s construction.

O’Leary said the four county officers work day and evening tours seven days a week.
“We do not patrol in Cortlandt on the midnight tour.”

According to State Police Senior Investigator Brian Hoff, a state trooper is always on duty and a trooper is behind the desk from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Hoff said a few years ago the state decided to take the trooper off the desk during the 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. shift and put them on patrol.

“It hasn’t affected the manpower. In fact, it has increased our manpower on the road,” Hoff said.

Opponents to consolidation, however, believe that even with county and state patrols, Cortlandt residents’ public safety is being compromised.

Grasso said that he recently took a trip to both the state police barracks and the county barracks. At both buildings Grasso said he found the doors locked. At the state barracks, Grasso said he waited three minutes before he was able to speak with a dispatcher via telephone. When Grasso asked where she was located, the dispatcher responded that she was in Hawthorne.

Grasso believes that there are some things the county can be instrumental in providing to the town, but public safety services are not one of them.

“Where individual towns are concerned, they [the county] should mind their own business,” Grasso said. “There’s not one thing we need that we don’t already have.”
Resident Mark Drexel — who is currently running for town council on the Republican and Conservative lines — also opposes consolidation and said that he believes Yorktown would lose resources, with officers being “relocated” throughout the county based on need and would weaken protection in Yorktown.

Councilman Nick Bianco compares Cortlandt’s set up to a cardboard house: it looks real on the outside, but open the door and there’s nothing there.

“What if there’s someone who really needs help?” Bianco said “I guess that’s consolidation.”

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