Westchester County Department of Public Safety

See article: Law enforcement in Westchester County

The Westchester County Department of Public Safety was created in 1979 by merging the Westchester County Sheriff's Office with the Westchester County Parkway Police.

The current Commissioner/Sheriff is George Longworth.^[1]

The department provides primary police coverage for county parks, parkways and facilities as well as for the Town/Village of Mount Kisco. It also provide patrols within Town of Cortlandt.^[2] The department is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in Westchester County after the New York State Police, the Department of Corrections^[3] and the City of Yonkers Police.^[4]

Units and Divisions

Patrol Services Division

The Patrol services Division's uniformed officers patrol the county’s parkways, parks and public buildings. Patrol officers also assist Westchester county’s municipal police agencies in a variety of ways, including during motor vehicle stops and searches for fleeing suspects, emergency crowd control and at DWI checkpoints and other targeted enforcement. The PSD includes Breath Test Operators and Drug Recognition Experts (used to process arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs), and Accident Investigators and Accident Reconstructionists. The PSD provides police and security services for the 512-acre (2.07 km²) Westchester County campus (Grasslands Reservation) in Valhalla is home to the:Westchester Medical Center, County Jail, New York Medical College, Woodfield Cottage Juvenile Detention Center, Westchester County Police Academy, County Fire Training Center, and others. The PSD also patrols the main campus of Westchester Community College (WCC) in Greenburgh while working with campus security. The PSD patrols the 18,000 acres (73 km²) Westchester County Parks system which consists of more than 50 parks, nature centers, hiking and biking trails, six commercial pools, three beaches and Rye Playland, the only government-owned-and-operated amusement park in the country.

Communications Unit - provides communications between officers and County Police Headquarters.
Parkway Patrol - patrol the Saw Mill River Parkway, Bronx River Parkway, Hutchinson River Parkway, and the Cross County Parkway.
Crash Reduction Unit (CRU): Supplements regular patrol units by specifically addressing accident-prone locations. Funded by a grant from the State of New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, the CRU uses both high- and low-profile patrols to deter aggressive and distracted driving that often contributes to motor vehicle accidents.
Cortlandt Patrol Unit - provides supplemental police services to the residents of the Town of Cortlandt augmenting the New York State Police.
Mount Kisco Patrol Unit - provides police services to the residents of the Town/Village of Mount Kisco.
Westchester County Airport Unit - provides airport security and airport police services to Westchester County Airport.
Surface Transportation Unit (AKA Bus Detail) - Provides police services to Westchester’s Bee-Line Bus System.

Investigative Services

Investigative Services Division - Detectives in a variety of units within the ISD provide specialized assistance upon request to municipal police agencies for problematic, large-scale or complex investigations.

General Investigations Unit - Provides technical and investigative assistance to local agencies in the more complicated aspects of criminal investigations, including sex crimes, homicide investigations, cold case and unsolved homicides, deception analysis, electronic surveillance, financial investigations and other long term or major case investigations.
Crime Analysis Unit - The CAU serves as the county and regional law enforcement intelligence and information hub, connecting more than 100 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in and surrounding Westchester County.The CAU collects and disseminates information necessary to identify pattern crimes and suspects, and issuing the latest bulletins on criminal investigation methods and techniques. CAU holds a monthly intelligence-sharing meeting to facilitate the exchange of information between the numerous police agencies in and around the county.
Narcotics Unit - Conducts joint investigations in local jurisdictions in the battle against drug use and distribution.
Forensic Investigative Unit - Provides expert analysis and testimony in the forensic disciplines of ballistics, crime scene, digital evidence and latent prints and can to respond to any municipality in Westchester to process crime scenes and preserve and collect critical evidence.
- The Digital Evidence Section - assist local law enforcement by conducting a forensic examination of computers, cell phones and other electronic storage devices that might contain evidence of criminal activity.
- Westchester County Repository for Integrated Criminalistic Imaging online booking and database systems which serve more than 35 local law enforcement agencies. The R.I.C.I. network allows these agencies to track persons arrested for crimes and share information including photographs, palm and fingerprint images, and pedigree information of these persons.
- Warrant-Fugitive Unit (WFU) - Locates and arrests people who are wanted on warrants issued by Westchester County Criminal Court and Westchester County Family Court. The WFU also handles extradition cases where the defendant is apprehended by local police department in Westchester county and is wanted by another state, or where a defendant is apprehended in another state and is wanted by Westchester County or any of its municipalities. The WFU bears the time and expense of transporting such fugitives. Again, such time and expense would fall to local police agencies if this unit did not exist.
Pistol License Unit - The Pistol License Unit handles applications and the required background checks for persons in Westchester seeking handgun permits, dealer licenses and gunsmith licenses.
Environment Study Unit - Environmental Security Unit investigators are available to assist municipalities and local police with investigations that involve violations of environmental law.
Intelligence, Security and Counter-Terrorism Unit - Coordinates federal counter-terrorism grants for the 43 police chiefs in Westchester. These grants have totaled more than $16 million since 2004. The director of ISCTU; acts as the resident technical advisor to all chiefs of police on issues involving terrorism deterrence; develops and recommends security programs for implementation countywide in response to mandates or guidance from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and state Office of Homeland Security; acts as liaison for local chiefs of police with federal, state and other county agencies regarding counter-terrorism and security; serves as the point of contact for corporate security directors, including those at critical infrastructure such as Indian Point, telecommunications and utility companies, and other major corporations, on counter-terrorism issues.

Special Operations Division

The Special Operations Division^[5] (SOD) comprises a number of highly specialized units that work alongside the Patrol Services and Investigative Services Divisions to support the primary mission of the Department of Public Safety. In addition, all units within SOD are called upon frequently to assist local law-enforcement agencies in the county.

Aviation Unit - The Aviation Unit frequently supports local law enforcement to apprehend suspects fleeing crime scenes in vehicles or on foot and to assist in the search for lost or missing children and adults. The unit conducts aerial surveillance and gathers intelligence to assist local investigators in a wide range of criminal investigations. The Aviation Unit also assists fire departments by using the helicopter’s Bambi bucket to drop water onto a fire. It also can provide aerial surveillance at fire scenes, including a live video feed, to assist fire commanders on the ground to plan the firefighting attack. This unit comprises two helicopters, both Bell 407,^[6] and four police officer pilots
Bomb Squad - The Bomb Squad exists primarily as a service to Westchester’s municipalities. Bomb Squad members safely remove explosive devices and materials, investigate suspicious packages and conduct security sweeps of schools and other public facilities. Bomb Squad members also spend significant time assisting in the follow-up investigations to such incidents. The Bomb Squad responds to local communities to deal with volatile hazardous materials or to remove caches of illegal fireworks. The unit is also trained to respond to a radiological emergency anywhere in Westchester. Follow-up investigations are an integral part of the Bomb Squad function.
Special Response Team (SRT)- The Special Response Team is deployed in high-risk warrant executions, forced building entries, hostage situations, barricaded subjects and other incidents requiring specialized weapons, tactics or equipment.
Mounted Unit - Conducts crowd control and other joint operations in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies. It participates in conducting joint enforcement initiatives to assisting at large-scale gatherings. The Mounted Unit was disbanded in February 2010 because of budget constraints.
Marine Unit - Secures the waterfront of Hudson River communities and Long Island Sound communities, and assists local communities in providing security at fireworks displays, festivals and other community events that take place along the river. The Marine Unit has three patrol boats. They have also been utilized by local law enforcement in a variety of investigations.
Canine Unit - The canine Unit’s Bloodhounds are trained to track lost people or fleeing suspects while the unit’s Labradors are trained as Narcotics Detection Canines or Explosives Detection Canines
Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT) - consists of police officers trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a police psychologist serving as a mental health consultant in negotiation techniques. HNT intervenes in crisis situations to minimize the potential for loss of life by attempting to resolve incidents using negotiation skills. The HNT is deployed wherever there may be an armed, barricaded subject within the county’s jurisdiction.
The Counter Sniper and Marksman Team (CST) consists of marksmen and observers, whose primary function is to augment the Special Response Team. The CST provides real time intelligence in critical situations through observation using specialized optical devices and provides cover and operational support to SRT officers and other special response personnel as they mobilize during a deployment.
Park Rangers - Seasonal Uniformed park rangers work under the supervision of county police officers in the county’s parks. They assist park users, provide information on park rules and procedures, help in searches for lost children, perform basic first aid on occasion and make regular security checks of buildings and facilities.
Emergency Services Unit (ESU) - The ESU is a unit of specially trained officers who provide tactical and rescue response to county opened property and roadways. Members assigned to ESU are trained in vehicle extrication, collapse rescue, rope rescue and HAZMAT. The ESU will respond with the local fire departments (mostly volunteer) and EMS agencies on county owned parkways. The ESU units use the radio designations 45 Adam and Truck 1.

Others

Civil Unit - The Civil Unit is responsible for the service and execution of civil orders, judgments and mandates from the state Supreme Court, the County Court and local courts within Westchester County. The Civil Unit also serves as the enforcement arm for other state and federal jurisdictions where service is required within Westchester County.

The Civil Unit processes the following actions for the public and legal community: Income and property executions, Service and enforcement of family court process, Service of summonses, complaints, subpoenas and petitions; the execution and enforcement of court orders, Civil arrests, Evictions, and the enforcement of Orders of Seizure and Attachment.

Office of Stop-DWI and Drug Prevention - works closely with municipalities in Westchester to minimize alcohol and drug abuse and reduce related injuries and traffic fatalities. The STOP-DWI program’s Patrol Project coordinates joint enforcement activities and reimburses municipalities for added DWI patrols and sobriety checkpoints. The STOP-DWI program also supports and funds the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing training given to police recruits and veteran officers from departments around the county. The office is also involved in numerous public education initiatives in Westchester communities that teach middle school, high school and college students about the hazards of alcohol and drugs. A driving simulator is brought to local high schools to give students hands-on proof that a motor vehicle cannot be operated safely when a driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And Operation Safe Prom is a partnership between the county and local communities to reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents during prom season.

Office of Professional Responsibility and Special Investigations - Responsible for investigating civilian complaints as well as allegations of criminal or other serious misconduct in any county agency. OPRSIU is available to conduct such investigations for municipalities when there is the appearance of a conflict of interest and outside investigators are desired.

Public Safety Emergency Force - A specialized unit composed of part-time Deputy Sheriffs who are duly sworn peace officers and possess those powers to carry out their duties. Also referred to as the Sheriff's Emergency Force or Sheriff's Department, the PSEF provides assistance to the County Police, as well as local town, village, and city police departments with regard to patrol, traffic, and crowd control at special events. The PSEF Deputies also assist with DWI checkpoints, Papal visits, and, in its capacity as the County's emergency unit, the PSEF is often called upon during natural disasters, blackouts, and the like.

Proposal to Merge the Departments of Public Safety and Emergency Services

On Wednesday, 4 August 2010, County Executive Robert P. Astorino released his plan to merge the county departments of Public Safety and Emergency Services "which increases efficiency, lowers costs and positions Westchester County to meet the public safety challenges it faces today and in years to come," Astorino said. "The consolidation will save about $700,000 next year and double that by 2013 by reducing duplication.".^[7]

References

External links

Official website

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