Mayor stresses public input as part of the process
The Village of Cold Spring has hired Lexipol LLC, a California-based company that provides policy manuals and consulting services to law enforcement agencies, to help update Cold Spring Police Department policies and procedures. The Village Board approved the $3,100 expenditure at its Tuesday (Nov. 10) meeting.
Earlier this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all municipal police forces in the state to complete detailed reviews of their operations by April 1. Cold Spring Police Department policies were last updated in 2013; Lexipol will provide a model ordinance that ensures CSPD operates in conformity with state guidelines.
Larry Burke, officer-in-charge of the CSPD, said Lexipol has worked with other local police forces, including those in Fishkill and Kent and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, each of whom, he said, indicated the company provides excellent service.
Mayor Dave Merandy said he has been “getting the feeling” from some that the Village Board did not plan to abide by the governor’s rules in conducting the review. “That is not the case,” he said.
Lexipol’s work will provide “a policy we can work off,” he said. “We can tweak it the way we want to tweak it.”
He emphasized that public input will be an integral part of the process.
“What I’d like to make really clear is the Village Board is not going to ignore public comment,” the mayor said. “We’re going to have plenty of public meetings; everyone can have their say and input into the policies.”
Burke commented that “realistically, the governor’s rules are a guideline” and that each municipality determines its own policies.
In other business…
■ The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a resolution drafted by Village Attorney John Furst denying an application to replace a small barn at 21 Parsonage St. with a single-family home.
■ The Historic District Review Board suggested reducing its fee for projects requiring a public hearing from $80 to $40 while increasing the general application fee from $30 to $40. No decision was reached.
■ Burke reported that the CSPD responded to 52 calls for service in October. Officers issued 103 parking tickets and 16 traffic tickets. Two arrests were made, one regarding motor vehicle registration and one under the mental hygiene law. The Cold Spring Fire Co. responded to 21 alarms last month.
