SCHENECTADY COUNTY Chiefs decide where not to share Talks start with ruling ideas out BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
The negotiations over sharing some police functions in the county have gone in an unexpected direction. The police chiefs have begun by eliminating the idea of centralized booking, which was one of the first proposals made when consolidation efforts began more than a decade ago. The idea was to have a centralized facility where prisoners could be dropped off before being arraigned. They can’t go to the county jail until after they see a judge. But the suburban police departments just don’t need it, Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett said. “Other than the sheriffs, it really doesn’t impact the other jurisdictions,” he said. In Rotterdam, for example, police only occasionally make serious, after-hours arrests. In those cases, the prisoner is placed in the town’s holding cell while a judge is called in. The officer personally guards the cell until the judge arrives. Rotterdam Lt. Jason Murphy estimated that a judge must be called in at least once a week for night arrests. By comparison, Schenectady has court every morning. There’s always a few prisoners waiting for the judge. But Schenectady’s holding cells are so costly that Bennett wants to change the system even if he can’t share the cost with the surrounding municipalities. The city’s lockup requires the daily attention of six offi - cers — two on each shift. He’s considering civilian guards who would be paid less than police officers and would need only a few weeks of training. That would free up six officers to return to patrol, another high priority for Bennett. “We are very much interested in exploring that because of the personnel committment to the lockup here,” Bennett said. “We get more for our money if the police officer is on the streets patrolling.” As for ways in which the city could consolidate with the nearby town and village police departments, little progress has been made. ......................>>>>......................>>>>.........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00904&AppName=1
Perhaps the towns aren't going to be to quick to absorb the overflow AND cost from the city. This consolidation is nothing more than a bail out for the city. Let the city get their own house in order!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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