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A veteran law enforcement officer for 31 years, he has spent the past 14 here in town. Assisting him are 18 professionals who serve our community 24/7 along with the New York State Police, which provides supplemental service.
It is interesting to hear the many facts and statistics in how the department serves us. Many residents already know that in the 1970s, Dick Lyman served as a patrolman. While his mustache has not changed much since then, our department has by retaining the best vehicles and communications available to the law enforcement community.
A primary function the department successfully deals with is traffic enforcement. Last year, the department issued 703 speeding tickets and according to Ryan, that number will likely be surpassed by the end of this year. So far in 2013, the department also has made 47 driving while intoxicated arrests and according to Ryan “this is more than the number of similar arrests made in the past five years combined.”
While some recipients of moving violation summonses may believe it is a way for our town to increase revenue, the fact is most money from paid fines goes to the state.
According to Ryan, one unfortunate aspect of the job is seeing what happens in many suburban towns during an economic downturn.
“Dealing with situations involving domestic violence and child abuse is a reality for all law enforcement agencies in the county,'' he said.
For the residents of Pound Ridge, such incidents are kept to a minimum due to the police being vigilant. Then there is the issue that every 18 months, there is a sequence of burglaries in which Ryan believes is attempted by outsiders.
As a result, Ryan asks residents and business owners alike “If they see something, say something.”
In having a better understanding of how our police department operates, a final question to Ryan was “From the law enforcement point of view, which do you prefer, Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme?” Not to be outdone, he said: “Here at the Pound Ridge Police Department, we do not eat donuts. We prefer croissants.”
If anyone has an emergency, call 911. For non-emergencies, you can reach the department at (914) 764-4206. In the meantime, when you see one of our finest, let them know how much they are appreciated.
Laurance Baschkin is a resident of Pound Ridge.
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