Chester to get police protection, 24/7

Chester — Town of Chester residents will be getting the full-time police protection they’ve been wanting for years. The town police department does not work at night. This has frightened many residents who say they are simply not comfortable having the state police, who do not know their neighborhoods as well as the local police do, fill in at night when crime is high. Chester officials agreed last week to phase in full-time protection. The first phase, to begin Jan. 1, 2006, will give 24-hour police coverage on three days of the week, probably over the weekends, said town supervisor Bill Tully. Then, in 2007, the schedule will extend to 24-hour coverage seven days a week. The phase-in is to “minimize the impact on taxpayers,” Tully said. The first phase will cost $90,000, he said. That will cover the cost of salaries, uniforms, gas mileage, and overtime. The town will hire two more part-time officers and one full-timer. The second phase will include the hiring of two more full-time officers, Tully said. He said did not yet know what the second phase will cost. Tully and the rest of the town board had previously declined to extend police hours because of their concern about the cost, and their belief that crime was not high enough to warrant it. But board members say it is time to respond to the wishes of local residents. Tully said he’s heard many people ask for 24-hour police protection while knocking on doors in his run for re-election. “That’s one of the benefits of campaigning,” he said. Another reason for his change of heart is the town’s desire to merge the town and village police departments. To do that, the town must first go full time, he said. Before merger can happen, both the town and the village could have to agree to it. The village has so far been cool to the idea. The board vote for 24-hour protection was unanimous. But Councilwoman Cindy Smith said she had wanted to phase in full-time protection earlier, in mid-June. “Three nights to me is a start, but Chester residents want more,” she said. Councilwoman Margaret Grumbach’s reservations extended in the other direction. She told The Chronicle that, as far as she was concerned, 2006 will be a trial period that will lead to full-time coverage only if it proves successful. She said a rash of crime last year centered around the house of a drug dealer and manufacturer, who has since been busted, worried many people. She said crime has gone down since then, but “people just don’t feel safe in their homes, and that’s not right.” She did, however, express concern about the cost of full-time protection, and worried about the impact of rising taxes on the elderly and young families.