Cicero, NY - The Cicero Police Study Committee will hold the first of three public listening sessions Tuesday so that residents can voice their opinions about police services in the town. "What we’re looking for is input from Cicero residents about how they feel about their police force," said John Winters, chairman of the Cicero Police Study Committee. Earlier...
The Cicero Police Study Committee will hold the first of three public listening sessions Tuesday so that residents can voice their opinions about police services in the town. Cicero Police Chief Joseph Snell (shown in this file photo) said his department is fiscally conservative and focuses on the community.Cicero, NY - The Cicero Police Study Committee will hold the first of three public listening sessions Tuesday so that residents can voice their opinions about police services in the town.
"What we’re looking for is input from Cicero residents about how they feel about their police force," said John Winters, chairman of the Cicero Police Study Committee.
Earlier this year, newly elected Cicero Deputy Supervisor Jessica Zambrano said she wanted to fulfill a campaign promise to look into the possibility of police consolidation.
Zambrano explained that numerous residents had brought up the issue: Should Cicero fold its police department into the Onondaga County sheriff's force? Some residents suggested police consolidation as a way to save money, she said at the time.
Supervisor Judy Boyke asked for volunteers to form a study committee to look into a possible police merger.
Winters, a retired IT manager from Bridgeport, which is within the town of Cicero, said he volunteered to "make sure the process was a reasonable one as we looked at alternatives for the police force," he said. "I am impartial. I wanted more information than I had to make up my mind."
Ten other residents also were chosen to serve on the committee. They are: Kevin Coyne, Don Haselmyer, John Muratore, Deborah Gardner, Peter Nasarenko, David Kirk, Bill West and Tom Beaulieu.
Town officials asked the committee to look into how the town should proceed with its police services, Boyke said.
Before the committee started meeting in April, Boyke told the public that Winters was open to all thoughts and suggestions, and he had chosen a "diverse committee."
So far, the committee has looked at how the current police force is structured, what services the Cicero Police Department provides to the town and the department's workload, such as how many calls officers receive and how effective they are, Winters said.
The Cicero Police Department has 14 full-time and eight part-time police officers. Last year, they responded to 12,506 calls for service and made an additional 2,300 traffic stops, according to Onondaga County Information Technology records.
"Right now we have collected a lot of data," Winters said. "No conclusions have been made. We won’t even start discussing any conclusions or recommendations to the board until the listening sessions are completed."
After committee members hear from Cicero residents, they plan to meet with Cicero Police Chief Joseph Snell and a representative from the sheriff's office.
Snell described his department as fiscally conservative and focused on the community.
Cicero police is among the only the departments in Onondaga County that maintains a Volunteers In Police Services (VIPS) program, which recruits volunteers in the community to help assist the police department in non-police related activities, Snell said.
They also have an e-policing program that serves 1,500 households in the community, the chief said. Cicero police send weekly reports informing residents of the types of crimes occurring in their neighborhoods and where the crimes took place as part of their crime prevention program, Snell said. The chief said the e-policing program also allows residents to e-mail Cicero police about their concerns, such as a speeding vehicle on their street. Cicero police then respond to their concerns immediately, Snell said today.
"We provide a very personal level of service that the sheriff won't provide," Snell said the night Zambrano suggested looking into a possible police merger. "We're a very community focused department. And I believe the community will support us."
Winters said he is aware of the talk of a possible police merger, but "in the charge, there is nothing specific about merging or any other action that has been voiced by the board, the public or media," he said. "Some of those options may be considered, but at this point we have not done that."
The committee plans to make a recommendation at the Aug. 25 town board meeting.
Any changes the committee recommends would possibly take place over the next 10 years, which is why Winters said it's important town residents voice their opinions now.
However, the final decision will be up to the town board -- and ultimately the voters, Boyke said.
"This is fundamental to the lifestyles of town residents and you don’t make a decision that could impact those services without thoughtful consideration," Winters said. "We want to take the pulse of the community on this issue."
After the committee has presented its findings and recommendations, Boyke said, the town board will decide if it will save a substantial amount of money jeopardizing the safety and services to the town.
A public vote on the committee's recommendations is expected to take place in November, Boyke said. "It could be for lesser services, or if the committee's recommendation is for a merger or to abolish the police department all together," she said. "Whatever the recommendations are, the voters will have the final decision."
All three Cicero Police Study Committee public listening sessions are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m.
Each person will have a maximum of three minutes to speak and the committee will not answer questions, Winters said.
“We’re not going to turn it into a debate," he said. "It’s to provide a forum for the community to give direct input to the committee regarding the police services.”
The meetings will take place Tuesday at the Cicero Fire Department, 8377 Brewerton Road; June 16 at the Brewerton Fire Department, 9625 Brewerton Road; and June 17 at the South Bay Fire Department, 8819 Cicero Center Road.