Law enforcement in Westchester County

There are forty-five local police agencies in Westchester County, New York. As well as other agencies. They are responsible for protecting Westchester County, these agencies frequently work with one another in the surrounding counties. Current economic times has caused a few Westchester municipalities to consider consolidation of police services. The Westchester County Department of Public Safety started providing primary police services for the Town/Village of Mount Kisco in 2015.

Westchester County Department of Public Safety

Westchester County Department of Public Safety was created in 1979 by merging the Westchester County Sheriff's Office with the Westchester County Parkway Police. The current Commissioner/Sheriff is Terrance Raynor. The Westchester County Police provide primary law enforcement for county parks, parkways and facilities. They also patrol the Town of Mount Kisco and supplement patrol along with the New York State Police for the Town of Cortlandt. The Department is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in Westchester County.

In 2010, County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced a plan to merge the county departments of Public Safety and Emergency Services.^[1] As of 2021^[update] these departments remain separate, and the plan appears to have been abandoned.^[2]

Local police departments

The following departments are responsible for primary law enforcement in their jurisdictions.

Other law enforcement agencies

• The SPCA of Westchester Humane Law Enforcement has jurisdiction throughout Westchester to enforce Animal Cruelty laws.
• New York State Police (has multiple barracks located in Westchester County, responsible for police services in the towns of Cortlandt, Lewisboro, North Salem, Somers and Pound Ridge, on state roads and major thoroughfares such as New York State Thruway, Taconic State Parkway, Interstate 684, Interstate 95 just to name a few as well as supplementing local police agencies with additional resources)
• New York State University Police at Purchase College
• New York State Park Police(responsible for patrol and security of all New York State Parks and Sites in Westchester County)
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police (NYS DEC Police)
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police (NYC DEP Police) (Responsible for securing the NYC water supply system in Westchester County - i.e. NYC water shed located in Northern Westchester).
• Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police(MTA Police) (Responsible for security and patrol of Metro-North Railroad property).
• Amtrak Police
• Westchester County Department of Correction [1]
• Westchester County Probation Department
• Westchester County District Attorney Investigations Squad
• Town of Pelham Constable
• Town of Rye Public Safety
• Mamaroneck Village Bay Constable

Bay constables

The City of Rye and Village of Mamaroneck employs seasonal bay constables who serve as peace officers. Constables patrol areas of Long Island Sound and enforce state, local maritime, environmental, fish, and wildlife laws. Bay constables are licensed armed peace officers as per NYS CPL 2.10(18).^[4]

Auxiliary police officers

Several municipalities in Westchester have auxiliary police units which contain volunteers who are trained peace officers and assist their police departments with special events, traffic control, crowd control and patrol under the supervision of full time police officers. Auxiliary police officers derive their authority through NYS CPL 2.10(26) and only have the powers of peace officers pursuant to the provisions of the New York State defense emergency act during a period of attack or imminent attack by enemy forces or while combating natural or man made disasters.^[5]

Public Safety Emergency Force

The Public Safety Emergency Force (PSEF) are volunteers within the Westchester County Department of Public Safety ^[6] Members of the PSEF are appointed as part-time Deputy Sheriffs by the Commissioner-Sheriff and have full peace officer powers while on duty only pursuant to New York State criminal procedure law section 2.10 Subdivision 57a ^[7]and when activated by the acting Commissioner/Sheriff . All Members are provided with a county-issued handgun and pistol license with a PSEF ON Duty Only Restriction stamped on it.

Defunct law enforcement agencies

• Ossining Town PD - The Village of Ossining Police provides police services to the unincorporated part of the Town of Ossining as well as the Village of Ossining.
• Cortlandt Town PD - disbanded and policed by the New York State Police augmented by the Westchester County Police
• Mount Kisco Town/Village PD - disbanded, officers merged with Westchester County Police, Mount Kisco is patrolled by Westchester County Police

See also

List of law enforcement agencies in New York

References