Crime Scene

State and local police are warning residents to buckle up when climbing into a car. Troopers and local police will conduct a “Click it or Ticket” seat-belt enforcement campaign beginning Nov. 12 and running through the Thanksgiving weekend. Troopers from the Somers barracks wasted little time, running a safety check Nov. 13 on Route 35 in Somers. The troopers issued 138 tickets during the six-hour enforcement, including 87 tickets for seat-belt violations. One state police sergeant told me he was … Read more of this entry »

A state police recruitment drive for new troopers that began last month has already drawn more than 13,000 applicants, the New York State Police Public Information Office said in a release today. Here is the text of the press release from the NYSP:

NEW YORK STATE POLICE
Preston L. Felton
Acting Superintendent

Lieutenant Glenn Miner
Director of Public Information
(518) 457-2180
www.troopers.state.ny.us

FOR RELEASE: Immediate

Troopers Announce Over 13,500 already signed up for Upcoming
Examination

Albany, NY – October 10, 2007 – New York State … Read more of this entry »

Could it be heroin in your crack? State police charged George P. Lanza, 30, of Poughkeepsie, and Matthew F. Azimi, 26, of Deposit, N.Y., each with seventh-degree criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a hypodermic instrument, misdemeanors, after Trooper Brian Will stopped them Sept. 29 at 11 p.m. on Interstate 684 in Bedford. Will walked around the car with his canine partner, Hudson, who alerted the trooper to the presence of drugs in the car, police said. The … Read more of this entry »

The Yorktown Christopher Columbus Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary on October 5, 2007, with a gala dinner dance and award presentation to honor a member who has long served the Westchester community.
The society is honoring Eugene Tumolo, Chief of Peekskill Police, who has been a member of the Society since 1999.
“The Yorktown Christopher Columbus Society is one of the longest serving society chapters in Westchester County with a membership of committed citizens who contribute unselfish service to their communities,â€? ... Read more of this entry »

The Town of Carmel Police Benevolent Association has endorsed Thomas J. Jacobellis for a full four-year term as town justice. Jacobellis, a former Putnam County prosecutor, was appointed to the position earlier year when former Town Justice James Reitz was elected as a Putnam County judge. Detective Robert Bagnarol, Carmel PBA president, said that although his organization usually doesn’t endorse canddiates, “there was an overwhemling consensus amongst our membership to endorse Judge Jacobellis. After working with Judge Jacobellis over … Read more of this entry »

If your children are interested in a career in public safety, one way for them to get a taste of it is through “junior academiesâ€? sponsored by local police and fire departments. In Peekskill, the city Police Department has announced the start of its 5th annual Peekskill Youth Police Academy on July 23. Children between the ages of 12 and 15 learn about police work by working side-by-side with some of Peekskill finest to learn what it’s like to be … Read more of this entry »

The Stephen P. Driscoll Memorial Lodge of the New York State Fraternal Order of Police recently held its annual awards ceremony in Southeast in Putnam County.
The lodge was formed in honor of Driscoll, a Lake Carmel resident and New York City police officer who died on Sept. 11, 2001 while saving others at the World Trade Center.
Since its inception, the lodge has grown to one of the largest in the state, boasting several hundred members who are current and retired … Read more of this entry »

It used to be that a first-time offender charged with driving while intoxicated in Putnam County and registering a blood-alcohol level below 0.15 percent could have the misdemeanor charge reduce to a violation of driving while impaired. But District Attorney Kevin L. Wright recently announced that his office had changed that policy. Now, anyone with a blood-alcohol level of 0.13 percent or more will not be eligible for the reduced charge, Wright said.
“If a person, even a first offender, chooses … Read more of this entry »

The leaders of the State Troopers Police Benevolent Association are happy with Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s decision to name State Police First Deputy Superintendent Preston L. Felton as interim superintendent in the wake of the retirement of Superintendent Wayne Bennett.
Specifically, the union is happy that Spitzer chose one of their own, a man who has worked his way up through the department’s ranks.
Felton is also the highest-ranking African-American in department history.
“Felton has extensive field field experience and has served in a … Read more of this entry »

Putnam County residents who want to learn more about police work — from procedure to investigations to forensics and corrections — are encouraged to sign up for the Putnam County Citizens’ Police Academy. And we promise it’s nothing like “Armed and Famous,â€? the ill-fated reality TV show that CBS just canceled that featured washed-up celebrities training to be police officers. Weekly classes for the bi-annual Citizens’ Academy begin March 8 and will be held on Thursdays from 6 to 9 … Read more of this entry »

Darrell Burris, commanding officer of the Cold Spring Police Department, and his canine partner, Duncan, recently finished second out of 17 teams in the United States Police Canine Association’s regional trials in Orange County. Burris and Duncan, a black Labrador, placed second in the Region 7 Narcotics Detector Trials at the Orange County Sheriff’s Canine Academy in Montgomery. Duncan, who already has helped in narcotics investigations and arrests, came on the job last year and partners with Burris, a former … Read more of this entry »

Veteran Putnam County prosecutor Mary Jane MacCrae recently returned from the National College of District Attorneys in Columbia, S.C., where she taught a course entitled, “Cross Examination.â€? MacCrae, an assistant district attorney in Putnam County since 1982, instructed prosecutors from throughout the country on techniques to improve their cross examination of witnesses. The five-day course, which ended Jan. 19, included real-life conditions, with volunteer actors portraying witnesses, defendants and forensics experts. It was the fourth time that MacCrae has taught … Read more of this entry »

Many years ago, someone once asked me why police don’t seem nearly as friendly as firefighters.
I couldn’t answer at the time, but after having spent several years covering the police beat in the Lower Hudson Valley and, prior to that, in Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley, I think I now know why.
When people call for a firefighter, they’re almost always happy to see them.
Your house is burning down, you’ve been in a car accident or, perhaps, your cat is up a tree.
In … Read more of this entry »

The tragic untimely death this week of Brewster High School junior Christopher Caiazzo in a one-car accident near the school made me think of what has to be one of the hardest jobs of a police officer: Death notification.
I know how difficult it is as a reporter to go to a family that has just lost a loved one and get them to tell us why this person was so special and will be missed.
I can only imagine how tough … Read more of this entry »