Residents meet at public session on Cicero police force

Cicero, NY - It's been two years since Clay residents overwhelmingly voted to fold its police department into the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office. That move cut town tax rates nearly 20 percent. So far, no other municipality in Onondaga County has followed suit. Cicero, home of nearly 30,000 people, is exploring whether the town needs its own police force....

Catie O'Toole / The Post-StandardLew Bersani, 65, of Lakeshore Road in Cicero, stands by a sign favoring a police merger in Cicero in front of his business, Bersani's Sport & Marine, on Lakeshore Road.
Cicero, NY - It's been two years since Clay residents overwhelmingly voted to fold its police department into the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office. That move cut town tax rates nearly 20 percent.

So far, no other municipality in Onondaga County has followed suit.

Cicero, home of nearly 30,000 people, is exploring whether the town needs its own police force.

Cicero expects to spend $1.27 million on public safety this year. That pays for a police department with 14 full-time and eight part-time officers.

Should the town keep its police force? Should it merge with the sheriffs department? Should it make other changes?

"What I'd really like seen done is a referendum put on the ballot in November so all the people in the town can make the decision whether they want to keep the police department or consolidate with the sheriffs," said Lew Bersani, who posted a sign outside his business on Lakeshore Road asking for police consolidation. "Let the people make this decision."

To find out what residents want, the town Tuesday held the first of three meeting public listening sessions. More than 40 people attended the meeting at the Cicero Fire Department, but only a handful spoke.
View full sizeMichelle Gabel/The Post-StandardCicero Police Officer Mike Serafin calls in a traffic stop to the 911 Center Tuesday.
Richard Webb, chief of Cicero's Volunteers In Police Services (VIPS) program, said if the town loses its police department it also would lose the volunteers who help assist the Cicero Police Department in non-police related activities, such as fingerprinting children and traffic control. Since VIPS started in 1997, Webb said they have volunteered more than 23,000 hours. "Do we want to give this up?" he asked.

Cicero First Assistant Fire Chief Ron Barling said the police department should stay.

"They're here to help us," he said.

But not everyone agreed.

Both Len DiMaggio, owner of JD Motors on Taft Road, and Bersani, owner of Bersani's Sport & Marine, said they've had bad experiences with Cicero police and want to see a merger.

"I think Cicero really needs to save some money and get a police force that treats each and every individual equally," DiMaggio said. "My business was broken into. Nothing happened. My home was broken into a month ago. Not a follow up. Nothing. I call and try to get answers and I cant get them. In my opinion, I think Cicero would be better off without this police force."

John Winters, chairman of the Cicero Police Study Committee, asked residents to come to two other public listening sessions next week.

The sessions are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. June 16 at the Brewerton Fire Department, 9625 Brewerton Road and 7 to 9 p.m. June 17 at the South Bay Fire Department, 8819 Cicero Center Road.

The study committee includes 11 community members.

Members plan to make a recommendation at the Aug. 25 town board meeting. A public vote is expected in November, Supervisor Judy Boyke said.

Contact Catie OToole at cotoole@syracuse.com or 470-2134.