Documents › Board Of Trustees, 2025-12-01

correspondence 4 pages

To: Village of Croton-on-Hudson Board of Trustees From: Carolyn Whiting, Chair Croton-on-Hudson Police Advisory Committee Date: November 17, 2025 Subject: Year-end report to the Board of Trustees Once again, the Police Advisory committee had a very productive year. We met seven times during the 2025 calendar year, although work was done throughout the year. The committee discussed and accomplished the following items: 1. Recommendations to the Board: • The need for the Village to hire additional police officers. • The need for the Village to hire a police department consultant to determine best practices and staffing levels. 2. Discussed • PAC budget needs. • Contacted the PBA to request to give officers a survey asking for their input on the department. PBA declined to participate. • The purchase of Cardiac Compression Assist devices to be placed in all patrol vehicles. Cost prohibitive. • Weekly police blotter a) The need for the police blotter to be released in a timely manner. b) Wording added to the weekly blotter to advise residents that the blotter is a sampling of calls and not a full list of calls. • The need for department policies for drones, police body cameras, AI report writing, utilizing cameras from residents Tesla cars. All department policies are being written and updated through the accreditation process. • Surveillance camera policy on private property apartments. • The need for timely press releases for crimes and items of importance to residents. • The reduction of PAC meetings to 4 meetings per year due to the Chief’s busy schedule and overtime costs for Officers Davis and Jandres. Additional meetings will be added as needed. • Discuss Police Reform Task Force priorities and previously approved PAC suggestions: a) Foot patrols: Officers patrol the upper village during school lunch hour. b) Interactions with youth: Need additional outreach c) Hispanic community outreach: A continuing focus. d) Community outreach: Continuing work. The PAC wrote a letter to the Gazette to promote National Police week and share the history of officer line of duty deaths throughout Westchester e) Training explained to the public: Article available on the PAC and Police web pages. f) Photos of officers working: Not yet implemented. g) Videos of officers explaining safety tips. Not yet implemented. On hold. 3. The PAC created a community wide survey for residents to give feedback on the police department, residents’ traffic concerns, and school safety. 4. The PAC presented the survey results and additional updates about the department and PAC at a June 3, 2025, Town Hall meeting held in the Georgianna Grant meeting room. The Town Hall was also available on the government cable channel and the village live stream web service. 5. Bicycle giveaway, May 10, 2025 • A community outreach effort to assist the police and PAC. • PAC collaborated with Croton Caring to collect approximately 140 gently used bicycles to give away to Caring Committee client’s children. • Approximately 80 bicycles were given to children with remaining bicycles donated to Westchester Cycle, a not-for-profit group that gives bicycles to children in need throughout Westchester County. • Each child also received a free helmet through a Westchester County EMS program, through donations of Croton Caring, and generous donations from residents. • The PAC worked with Croton Electric Bikes, members of the Bicycle Pedestrian Safety committee and resident volunteers to assess and repair the 150 bicycles. • The PAC and Croton Caring member Molly Lemeris worked on the program from the fall of 2024 throughout the winter of 2025 and until May 10, 2025, giveaway. 6. Worked with the Village to formulate the department’s policy for working with ICE. 7. Cheered on the police during the Special Olympics Torch Run. 8. Assisted the police department at Summerfest, June 2025. 9. Assisted the police department at National Night Out, August 2025. 10. Attended “Back-to-School” night with the police department at the high school in September 2025. 11. The PAC suggested to the Chief of Police that he pursue free gun locks through grants and programs. The Chief secured locks, and they will be available to the public. 12. Attended a statewide Zoom meeting with police advisory boards throughout the state. 13. Attended the Village of Ossining’s Police’s Traffic Stop information and discussion Town Hall 14. Croton PAC Chair met with Ossining PAC Chair to discuss areas of common interest. Respectfully submitted Carolyn Whiting, Chair Police Advisory Committee