White Plains Promotes Two Auxiliary Officers
By Sam Barron
The Department of Public Safety promoted two auxiliary officers on Thursday. Irene Daniels was promoted to Auxiliary Lieutenant and Jefim Piekarz was promoted to Auxiliary Police Sergeant.
Daniels, the city’s female auxiliary officer, was appointed in 1975 after a city ordinance was changed to allow females to serve. She was promoted to sergeant in September 2008.
Daniels, the secretary to Police Chief James Bradley, received a Certificate of Commendation for the arrest of three burglary suspects in 1980, and received commendations from the mayor’s office for her assistance during the blackouts of 1977 and 2003.
Piekarz was appointed to the auxiliary in 2005. He received the Public Safety Honor Award in 2010 for responding to a storm, and is the range officer for his division.
“This is a very happy occasion,” Commissioner of Public Safety David Chang said. “Volunteers are so important to everyday lives and to public safety. They come out and serve when most people are relaxing at home and they get no compensation.”
Mayor Thomas Roach also expressed his gratitude to the two auxiliary police officers.
“It is so crucial that we have such a high level of community involvement,” Roach said. “We have the finest public safety department in the world.”
Davis said she was thrilled to be promoted and talked about how much she loves being on the auxiliary.
“It is a wonderful experience,” Davis said. “It’s an excellent way to volunteer. It’s very rewarding.”
Davis, who was a secretary at the time she joined, said she loved being out from behind her desk.
“It was such a learning experience,” Davis said. “People don’t realize that it can be difficult directing traffic in the rain.”
Davis said that she loves seeing the city come out for big parades, and walkathons, and that she experienced no problem being the first woman auxiliary.
“Everyone was so welcoming,” Davis said. “They were almost too protective.”
Piekarz also had a lot of love for the auxiliary, talking about how much he has enjoyed serving the city.
“I have gotten to meet so many great people,” Piekarz said. “There are lots of good people in the auxiliary, we’d like to have more. We work together well.
Piekarz said he was surprised and grateful for the promotion.
Roach said that it was heartening to have people so committed to volunteerism and keeping residents safe.
“They offer important assistance to the police by having them present,” Roach said. “It means a lot. They are good with the public. I can attest to their high level of professionalism.”
There are currently 10 active and two pending auxiliary officers serving White Plains.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.