Carmel Town Officials Request Formal Study for Countywide Police Merger
Merging police agencies has been talked about for years on grocery lines and coffee shops, but now one Putnam County town is making a formal request to examine it.
Carmel Town Board members sent a formal letter to the County Executive’s Office requesting a special task force be set up to study and research “the feasibility of merging law enforcement agencies in Putnam County, creating a countywide police model of law enforcement.”
In the letter, obtained by The Putnam Examiner, sent on March 11 to County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Carmel Supervisor Ken Schmitt and the rest of the town board said the request is prompted by a “desire to maintain Carmel’s excellent police services” while also addressing “financial pressures” facing towns like Carmel that currently have an independent police department.
Schmitt requested he and Councilman John Lupinacci be placed on the proposed task force, along with anyone else Odell would like to designate.
In an interview, Schmitt said the town board felt the time was now to at least begin a dialogue between the town and the county about creating one law enforcement agency for all county residents. Currently, Schmitt believes there are duplications of services between the Sheriff’s Department and the Carmel Police Department.
“We’re of the belief that a consolidation of law enforcement services would be cost saving to the Town of Carmel taxpayer,” Schmitt said.
A feasibility study would determine if there are indeed efficiencies and cost saving measures reached by merging all law enforcement departments within Putnam under one umbrella, comparable to Westchester County’s model, Schmitt said.
“If we didn’t do this, how would we know if it’s even feasible,” Schmitt said of conducting a study. He added police services would be the same or even better under the proposed merger.
Odell, who received the letter Monday morning, said she wants to lead the discussion with all police agencies throughout the county. She also sent a last minute request to New York State in hopes of securing grant money to conduct a merger study.
“We’re the safest county in New York Stateandwe’reveryproudofit,”Odell said “And I promise the people of Putnam County that we will make sure we continue to have that prestigious notice. I’m looking forward to a dialogue with all elected officials about it.”
Odell said it’s each town’s decision on whether they want to consolidate police services. She noted Carmel is the first township to ever write a formal request to her.
“I respect and understand home rule. Eachtownshipisresponsiblefortheir own police department,” Odell said. “I do not have any authority nor would I desire to have any authority to tell any town how to run their town or how to spend their money.”
Lupinacci — who said the Carmel Police Department has put a major burden on the town budget — contends that in the world of the 2-percent tax cap, looking at consolidation has to be done.
He said the letter to the county is not meant to express that the county should take over the Carmel police department, but rather explore how municipalities can provide services at a lower cost structure.
“How and where do you start to try saving money in all aspects,” Lupinacci said. “This is one of them. And trust me it’s not just going to be the police, other areas are going to be looked at for shared services or consolidation.”
Schmitt wanted to make clear the town is not looking to disband, downsize or eliminate the Town of Carmel police department, but rather study if a merge would be effective. He said, “We’re not looking to create controversy here. We’re not looking to eliminate anyone’s positions or anyone’s jobs. We’re looking to see if (a merger is) feasible and how are we going to do it.”
Messages left for Carmel Police Chief Mike Cazzari Monday afternoon were not returned before press time Monday evening.
Sheriff Don Smith said in a statement the sheriff’s department is proud to serve as the “county police by providing Patrols, Criminal Investigation, Narcotics Enforcement, School Resource Officers, Marine Patrols, Bicycle Patrols, Motorcycle Unit, Identification and Forensics, Civil Enforcement and Jail services.”
“We are a fiscally responsible law enforcement agency that provides services and support to every town and village in Putnam County,” Smith stated. “We provide outstanding support to each town and village police department in the County and work as a team to include our highly professional Emergency Response Team (ERT), consisting of members of the Carmel Police, Kent Police, and Putnam County Sheriff ’s Office. The issue of police consolidation is ultimately a ‘home rule’ issue that must be decided by the people at the town and village level. As the Sheriff of the County, I will continue to work with our County Executive, Legislature, town and village officials, and the people of Putnam County to keep our county a safe place to live, work and raise a family.”
In a statement, District Attorney Adam Levy said he is a “proponent of any program that can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the criminal justice system in Putnam” and would like to be part of the discussion to offer his “expertise, insight and that of my experienced team of prosecutors to help vet this important issue.”
“Nothing is more important to Putnam residents’ families than their safety and security,” Levy stated. “If, after careful consideration it is determined that this is a better and more efficient way to deliver these important services to our residents, my office will support it fully.”
Besides Carmel, the Town of Kent, Village of Brewster, and Village of Cold Spring also have independent police agencies outside of the Sheriff ’s Office. The message was cc’d to all county legislators, all town supervisors and village mayors, county Conservative Party Chairman James Maxwell, Republican Board of Elections Commissioner and county Republican Chairman Tony Scannapieco, and Town of Carmel Conservative Party Chairman Steve Baranowski.
