Committee of town residents recommends referendum on dissolving Cicero Police Department
View full sizeCicero Police Officer Mike Serafin talks to the driver of a vehicle that was speeding in a school zone earlier this summer on South Bay Road in front of Gillette Road Middle School. Serafin gave him a warning.Cicero, NY - A committee of Cicero residents tonight recommended the town board let the community decide whether to dissolve the Cicero Police Department.
A public referendum should be held, said John Winters, chairman of the Cicero Police Study Committee.
"One option is to disband the Cicero Police Department and contract with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office or another police agency for extended services in the town, such as regular neighborhood patrols," he said.
The town board made no decision today on the recommendation. Cicero Town Supervisor Judy Boyke said the board plans to take a closer look at the committee’s recommendation and then discuss it at a board meeting next month.
During the presentation, which roughly 150 people attended at the South Bay Fire Department, Winters explained that Cicero taxpayers already are paying $2.4 million for the county sheriff’s office to provide policing services in the town. State police also help police the town, and are paid through state taxes, Winters said.
Cicero Police Officer Mike Serafin calls in a traffic stop to the 911 Center Tuesday. "It’s important to note we are proposing the sheriff be held responsible for providing the policing services to the town that Cicero taxpayers are paying for," Winters said.
He said the committee found that Cicero police handle 62 percent of all calls for police assistance in the town; sheriff’s deputies handle 26 percent; and state police handle 12 percent of the calls.
The committee also found that the town pays up to 88 percent of both active and retired Cicero police officers’ health insurance costs. Winters said that is a major concern because health insurance costs are projected to escalate and to therefore cost the town up to $600,000 per officer over their lifetime.
Cicero has 14 full-time and eight part-time officers, plus clerical staff, a full-time investigator, two part-time investigators and a full-time police chief.
Cicero will spend about $1.4 million on public safety this year, Winters said.
The committee’s presentation did not say how much the town could save if it dissolved its police department and contracted with other police agencies. The report also did not compare work hours or the number of officers on duty.
Previous coverage:
» Cicero's deputy supervisor suggests police merger
» Cicero residents asked to voice opinions about town's police force
» Cicero, North Syracuse, East Syracuse have met with sheriff to discuss possible mergers
» Residents meet at public session on Cicero police force Anthony Solfaro, president of the New York State Union of Police Associations, questioned how the committee made a recommendation when it didn’t present the cost comparison for replacing Cicero police officers with sheriff’s deputies.
Solfaro said it would cost nearly $1.5 million to have two sheriff’s deputies patrol the town 24 hours a day, seven days a week this year, $1.6 million next year and more than $1.7 million in 2012.
About a half-dozen residents spoke in favor of keeping the Cicero Police Department.
"They do a lot and they are visible," said Anne Ruggeri. "They keep us well-informed. They’re friendly. We know them. They know us."
"If it’s not broken, you can’t fix it," Ed Zaluski added.
The town of Clay merged its police department with the sheriff’s office in 2008 to save money. Since disbanding its force, the town of Clay has saved more than $1.2 million, Supervisor Damian Ulatowski has said. The town projects to save a total of $12 million over 10 years, he said.