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Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced on Monday that the county and village have reached an agreement for the Department of Public Safety to continue handling emergency calls and dispatch duties during the midnight shift.
The agreement comes at no cost to the county, while saving Tuckahoe and village taxpayers from paying superfluous personnel costs.
“I am very pleased that County Executive George Latimer has agreed to extend this partnership for another five-year period. This cooperative shared service between the County and the Village has exceeded our expectations,” Tuckahoe Mayor Steve Ecklond stated. “The financial savings to our village residents has enabled us to place these resources towards other areas of public safety.”
Westchester County Police began dispatching Tuckahoe police officers on the midnight shift in December 2013, under an inter-municipal agreement between the county and village. The agreement came as Tuckahoe was facing the possibility of having to reduce its patrol coverage on the midnight shift. By eliminating the need for a desk officer, the Tuckahoe Police Department was able to keep the same number of officers on the street for the past five years.
"This is a great model for shared services between the county and local governments,” Legislator Damon Maher added. “It's an enormous benefit for a small village like Tuckahoe -- in this particular case providing the equivalent of more than three full-time positions -- and it comes at no additional cost to the county."
All 911 calls or other telephone calls from the public to the Tuckahoe Police Department are handled by County police from midnight to 7:40 a.m. The County police also dispatch Tuckahoe officers as needed. Anyone who comes in person to the Tuckahoe Police Department headquarters during the overnight hours can contact County Police through a telephone mounted at the front door. A Tuckahoe police officer is then dispatched to return to headquarters.
“This agreement is a small example of how County government and local governments can partner in an effort to save taxpayer money,” Latimer said. My administration has made a more robust shared service plan a key in our efforts to reduce the burden placed on Westchester county taxpayers and this agreement with Tuckahoe can serve as a blueprint on how it is possible.”
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