Ossining, County Police Make Pitches to Patrol Part of Town
The Ossining Town Board is asking for resident input on moving forward with police protection in the unincorporated area for the next four years.
At a town hall meeting last week, the board heard presentations from the Ossining Police Department and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, who each responded to an RFP to serve the 5,500 residents of the unincorporated town.
Captain Scott Craven, of the Ossining Police Department, explained that while he does not believe that they are a better police department, he feels that they would be a better fit for the town.
“A lot of the men and women who work in the police department grew up here, went to school here, have kids in the school system; over 50 percent. We think that’s really important,” he said.
He noted that in addition to having preferential hiring of village residents, the proximity of the village to the town is also an important factor, especially when considering response time in an emergency.
“We think that our proximity, our ability to back people up, our ability to share that boundaries is critical. I think that’s a huge advantage for us,” said Craven.
Among other advantages, Craven stated that the department has 56 officers who speak nine separate languages and 14 who are bilingual. They also have technology that allows them to reach the 911 language line from the front desk in their lobby.
Craven said that his department believes that, if they are granted the contract, they will be serving one community, and serving both the village and the unincorporated part of the town would allow officers to remain in touch with the students, who attend school in the town later in life. He also pointed out that many are confused by the boundaries of the town and the village anyway, so the consistency in policing would give the area a more united feel.
In a presentation for the County Police, Sergeant Jeffry Weiss explained that his department has been policing the town for the past three-and-a-half years providing services including Homeowners Association Liaison and false alarm monitoring, as well as giving residents the opportunity to meet with officers at the location of the resident’s choosing.
“The county police have been your police in the unincorporated part of the town for the last three-and-a- half years… It’s our understanding that residents have been satisfied with county police services and we have been and will continue to be responsive to the needs and desires of the community with respect to their police services,” said Weiss.
They also provide resources, such as aviation and canine patrol services, although these would be available even if the RFP is awarded to Ossining because the Department of Public Safety is the second line of defense for all municipalities in Westchester.
According to their bids, the Ossining Police Department estimates a cost of $1,992,399 for 2015 while the county estimates a cost of $2,455,131. Over the course of the four-year contract, this would result in a $2.8 million cost difference between the two departments, the reason for which is largely based on personnel costs.
In compliance with the terms of the RFP, each department would need to provide two patrol officers in each sector for the two-day shifts, as well as one officer to cover the midnight shift, but each department plans to handle the staffing situation differently. The Ossining Police Department plans to hire five new officers, who start at a lower salary, and will handle the remainder of the increased workload through the use of overtime for current officers. The county, however, will be using 10 officers, who draw a higher salary than Ossining police officers. Commissioner George Longworth explained that they need to budget for 10 officers, when the RFP only calls for five, because for every officer hired the department needs a backup to account for sick days and vacations.
The County Police Department reminded the Town Board, however, that in the three years they have been providing services, they have always come in under their estimated budget.
Each department’s budget also included a line for one detective, which concerned some residents, who worried that there would not be enough work for a detective to justify the expense. Craven explained, however, that the expenditures would not necessarily pay one person, but would pay multiple detectives for one person’s work of hours. He explained this would be necessary for things like crime scene investigations.
“You may not use a detective week to week, but if you have a crime or something happen in your community, your detective services will be used up. It might not be one person, it might be two or three detectives used at the same time,” said Supervisor Susanne Donnelly.
Of the residents who voiced their choice at the meeting, all were in support of granting the RFP to the Ossining Police Department.
“I think it’s more convenience for the Village of Ossining, to be close to the town, to be one police department. I think, when you put it all together, it sounds like a much better offer from the Village of Ossining than from the county,” said resident Louis Rinaldi.
John Connelly, whose father was a retired Westchester County officer, agreed that the Ossining Police Department would be the right choice.
“I think that the County Police are a good department and I think they’ve done a fine job…but I think there’s continuity and a convenience factor in having our police consolidated with the Village and I would like to…encourage the town to consider approving Ossining’s proposal,” he said to applause.
One resident asked that the Town Board put this decision to a referendum, but that is not legally allowed. Trustee Kim Jeffrey instead urged residents to reach out to the board over the next few weeks to make their opinions known.
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