Croton's Police Advisory Committee packed a wide-ranging agenda into its June 18 meeting, covering everything from body camera deployment timelines to planning for National Night Out, with committee members pressing forward on several initiatives aimed at strengthening community-police relations. This article is written solely from the meeting's official minutes; croton.news had no reporter present, and no video or transcript of the meeting exists. The committee opened by approving the minutes of its March 12 meeting, on a motion by Miles Kafka, seconded by Teri Lukin, all in favor.

Body Cameras Nearing Deployment

Body cameras are edging closer to reality. Components are arriving, and Police Chief John Nikitopoulos reported the program should be operational by the end of September or early October. The PBA will need to sign off on all camera policies, which are being written now. Body camera footage will also add to staff workload due to discovery requirements, the chief noted. The village is also expanding its camera footprint beyond body-worn devices. Cameras are being added to some local parks, and Nikitopoulos is briefing the Board of Trustees on camera usage and data storage at the next board work session. The PAC agreed to add camera-related questions to its 2026 community survey and to write public information materials once the cameras go into effect.

New Handguns in September

The police department will have new Glock handguns in September, the chief reported. The committee may write an article for its webpage about the new guns — including the red light that makes them more accurate — and the topic can also be discussed at the December Town Hall.

Community Survey: Sept. 15 to Oct. 15

The 2026 community survey has dates: September 15 to October 15. Nikitopoulos has discussed the 2025 survey results and this year's survey with Stephen Walker, and will follow up to determine whether Walker would like additional questions on this year's survey. The committee's survey planning meeting was set for July 16, where an item proposes asking the Board and Village Manager for questions of their own that would assist their future agendas.

Policy Manual and Accreditation

Accreditation will now be a standing item at all PAC meetings, per Village Manager Bryan Healy's request, tying the committee's work to the Police Reform Task Force report submitted to the Board. The policy manual is mostly complete, the chief reported. Lt. Tramaglini and Nikitopoulos spent roughly eight months rewriting the policies. Officers are given approximately five policies per month to read and sign off on — a pace recommended by Lexipol, the policy management provider. Full officer sign-off is expected to take another 12 to 24 months, as officers must complete the reading while continuing their regular duties.

Police Consultant Search

The Board has approved hiring a police consultant, and an RFP has been issued. Nikitopoulos said he hopes to have a firm hired within one to two months, with a final report issued by the end of 2026.

Blue Envelope Program

Detective DiTomasso, who joined the meeting for the first 30 minutes, explained the Blue Envelope Program, which was instituted in Croton last year to assist drivers with autism spectrum disorders during traffic stops. Only one person has signed up to date. Committee member Carolyn Whiting will write a letter to the *Gazette* and coordinate with the Croton special education program to distribute abbreviated cards to nonverbal children. Nikitopoulos will ask the village to provide additional publicity.

Corrections from March Meeting

Manager Healy said some information from the committee's March 12 meeting needed clarification. Healy did not object to flowers at the municipal building for Police Week — he had concerns only about additional flowers at the flagpole due to staffing needed to maintain them. He was fine with flowers in the planters. Healy also clarified that his office posts the police blotter online within one week of receiving it from the police department. He does not censor the blotter but makes it more user-friendly by clarifying police jargon. Committee member Ian Murtaugh said he was agnostic about publishing the blotter but suggested adding a brief information section at the top, noting that residents read it with great interest.

School and Youth Programs

Officers spent approximately 400 hours in the schools from September 2025 through June 2026. While the minutes call the number significant, they note that a dedicated school resource officer would have far more one-on-one contact with students and better information about safety needs. Officers currently do not participate in all safety meetings with the school security company. The Youth Cadet program had approximately 24 participants, with about five expected to graduate this year and more expected to sign up next semester. Cadets were at the flag-raising ceremony and were described as professional and helpful. Officer Edwin Jandres, who was not at the meeting, has approached the school about reading to elementary students in Spanish. School officials expressed interest and will follow up in the fall. The library may also host a Spanish-language reading event. Separately, per updates from Murtaugh, the library is not interested in a police talk for its ESL class, whose participants speak many languages besides Spanish, and the school runs a formal English Language Learners class and is not interested in a drop-in offering.

National Night Out Planning

National Night Out is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., and the committee discussed several enhancements. Nikitopoulos has ordered 500 fingerprint cards so parents can take home photo IDs and fingerprints of their children. Police cadets will man a dunk tank. Jeremy Davis is working to hire a student band, with a DJ as a backup. The chief will ask Healy whether the village shuttle bus is available for the event — which may attract upper-village residents — and whether banners can be placed at the municipal building, and he might use the department's message board for promotion. He will also ask Officer Davis about running a raffle of a basket of donated items from village businesses. One summer tradition is off, though: per the Village Manager, there will be no summer soccer game due to liability and insurance concerns.

Mass-Casualty Incident Training

The committee took up a draft memo to the Board and Village Manager on mass-casualty incident training. The police department does not train with the fire department and EMS for village events, though it does train with other local police departments. Nikitopoulos will follow up with Fire Chief Columbo to determine whether joint training — or meetings about mass-casualty joint response — is something they wish to pursue.

Other Items

Red light cameras are not yet on the Board's agenda; the PAC will send its memo about signage once the Board takes up the matter, with Trustee liaison Maria Slippen following up when a public meeting is held. Nikitopoulos reported there was a "blue light drill" at the schools, where parents walked around the outside of the buildings trying to determine the issue; the minutes note the school might wish to communicate to parents that doing so is unhelpful, could get them hurt during an incident, and would hinder police response. Among follow-ups from the Police Reform Task Force priorities: the department conducts foot patrols during school lunch hour in the upper village but will not expand them beyond that; officers will not attend bicycle school this year for lack of interest among the officers; and the chief is continuing to hold off on videos, citing national pushback to the 2025 video. The PBA has declined to participate in the book lending library, and the department's training group, Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps, advises against using Epi pens. The committee is also refreshing its public-information articles: with a proposed cannabis dispensary slated to open in Harmon, Whiting will update the committee's 2025 cannabis article, and she will rewrite the article on what assistance police can and cannot provide regarding homelessness. Teri Lukin reported a complaint about Black Rock Park, which the police department is following up on. The meeting, held in the first-floor courtroom at the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building with Trustee Maria Slippen attending as Board liaison, adjourned at 8:10 p.m.