Possible police expansion on the table

The Monroe Village Board recently discussed the possibility of entering an Inter-Municipal Agreement (IMA) with the Town of Monroe to expand the Monroe Police Department to serve town residents.

During the Aug. 19 board meeting, Mayor Neil Dwyer shared that the village had responded to the town’s proposed agreement for shared police services, saying that it felt an independent study is needed to determine the impact of this decision. He added that after the town expressed their lack of interest in such a study, Monroe Town Supervisor Anthony Cardone said he was willing to discuss the matter.

Dwyer also noted that for every thousand residents, a police force is required to have 1.2 officers, meaning that if the village’s police department were to serve the Town of Monroe, more officers would need to be hired along with the necessary personnel, vehicles and equipment.

Monroe Town Councilmember Maureen Richardson explained during public comment that many in the Monroe area do not realize that while the village has its own police force, the town does not and has to rely on the state police. She said while using the state police has cost-savings advantages, the town is limited in what it can demand from them, noting that their focus is on such areas as highway patrol and drug enforcement.

Richardson said she supported pursuing the IMA with the village and agreed with the Village Board that an independent study was needed and understood that, given the size of Monroe policy changes would take time to incorporate.

She also said that an individual had come to a Monroe Town Board meeting, claiming to be a specialized consultant who had studied different police forces in different municipalities. She said the consultant agreed with her that policing is a deeply personal issue and that the village and town should have an open forum to address concerns and added that he felt the town needed its own police force.

Richardson said she was surprised to later learn that the town had sent an IMA proposal to the village without the knowledge or input of her and another councilmember. She said the responses sent back from the town, after the village shared their concerns, were not thoughtful and that she did not want to be associated with them.

“I wanted to come here to specifically address that and say that that is what I’m here to represent: The public who do rely on our police and who are waiting a half an hour for state PD, you know, bless them for all that they do. They cannot get there fast enough. We need to do something,” Richardson said. “There’s so many situations where PD getting there even 15 minutes earlier could make the difference. So that is what I’m here to represent, not my self-interest, not a political interest. And I believe fully that we need independent analysis.”

In other police news, the board authorized the Police Department to accept various grants for enhancing and expanding its K9 program. The Monroe Police Department received $60,000 in federal funding to enhance its K9 unit’s explosive detection capabilities. The department also received $7,500 in funding through the American Kennel Club to adopt a new K9, which includes an additional $15,000 to support the training equipment and maintenance needs of the K9 program.

Trustee John Karl, who was the lone vote against the motion, shared his view that the village should focus on adding more police officers, rather than the K9 program. Trustee Debbie Behringer agreed and noted the grant was focused on K9 needs. She later shared that the police department was awarded $50,000 through a cyber security grant program.

Dwyer highlighted the extensive training the police dogs receive and how valuable they are in finding firearms or other dangerous items.

“To have this tool in the tool bag further enhances the safety of this village, which I think is really important to the village residents and the public at large,” said Dwyer, who also acknowledged Karl’s concerns and shared that he has spoken with the Monroe Chief of Police about the importance of enhancing the department.

During the meeting, the village’s plan to acquire property on Mombasha Road was met with reservations from Karl. He questioned whether designated the .26-acre vacant land as open space parkland would undermine the intent of the purchase, which is to protect the village’s water source.

Monroe Village Attorney Alyse Terhune said designated the area as parkland does not mean the village has to allow access to the water or other recreational use of the property. In response to Karl’s concern, Terhune suggested the motion be modified to call the space passive parkland, limiting activity in the area.