LETTER TO THE VILLAGE OF OWEGO RESIDENTS
I am writing to address the issue of Public Safety in the Village of Owego because residents have requested me to speak out publicly with my opinion. I have hesitated to speak out forcefully on; the proposed merger with the Tioga County Sheriff's Department due to that fact that I will be retiring soon and I believe that Deputy Chief James P. DeVita who will be the next Chief of Police should be given the opportunity to take the lead in discussions on the merger since either way he will be in a leadership role.
The Police Department has faithfully served the Village of Owego since 1853. In fact two Owego Police Officers have sacrificed their own lives to protect and serve residents. July 17, 1869 Officer Issac Wiltse was shot and slain on North Avenue, after he interrupted a Burglary in Progress. October 13, 1969 my friend and mentor Officer F. Allen Hall was shot and slain on North Avenue, responding to a Domestic Violence incident. I first became affiliated with the Owego Police Department as an Explorer Boy Scout in about 1967 and later as an unpaid Police Cadet. I have proudly served as Chief of Police since March 1, 1982. I also served in the Tioga County Sheriff's Department for about eight years prior to 1982.
The Owego Police Department under my direction has been a full service community policing department 24 hours a day seven days a week until November of 1999, when a manpower situation necessitated change. The department has addressed and handled the public safety needs of residents. The department has worked closely with the Tioga County Sheriff's Department on matters of mutual concern, crimes and Police Training. Both departments share Police Training instructors and classes. The department has also worked closely with the New York State Police -Troop C and in particular with the Bureau of Criminal Investigations regarding serious felony level crimes due the vast resources which are available through the State Police that would not be available through the Tioga County Sheriff's Department.
The Owego Police Department has been able to provide personalized service to residents dealing with quality of life type issues in their neighborhoods which the Tioga County Sheriff's Department by the very nature of their organization and mission and countywide workload could not reasonably be expected to provide to local residents. Owego Police Officers have the time to get to know the residents and their problems and concerns. The same Owego Police Officers have contact with the residents day after day. The Owego Police Officers are not rotated through assignments throughout the County like Deputy Sheriff's. A Deputy Sheriff may be in Owego today and in Richford tomorrow. A rotation like that would not be conducive to getting to know the people. Owego Police Officers are able to interact with our youth in their schools and at community locations such as the Tioga County Boys and Girls Club.
My opinion as Chief of Police and a lifelong Village resident and as a taxpayer, is that the Owego Police Department should be built back up and allowed to continue to serve the residents of the Village. I also believe that the current joint dispatching arrangement is not working and jeopardizes the safety and lives of village residents daily and further it impairs the operation and efficiency of the Village of Owego Police Department. I hope that the Village of Owego Board of Trustees has the wisdom to revisit and reverse their decision on dispatch and return it to the Owego Police Department where it works best.
I believe that the Village Board has acted in haste to rush to a mandatory referendum which may be technically illegal under Article 5, section 6 of the New York State Constitution. Abolition of competitive class civil service jobs in this circumstance would also be illegal in my opinion due to an absence of economic motivation. The proposed permissive referendum which has apparently now been aborted would have violated section 8-800 of the New York State Village Law. The conduct of a mandatory referendum in the absence of statutory authority would also be illegal.
I believe that the Village Board should inform residents that the implementation cost of the proposed merger exceeds 1 Million Dollars, which the taxpayers must pay. Further, I believe that the Village Board by adopting a local law which is falsely entitled "A local law abolishing the Village of Owego Police Department" is acting in bad faith and has publicly misrepresented what they are purporting to do by the law. I also believe that the Village Board's actions have impaired the morale and efficiency of the Owego Police Department. I further believe that with a black Police Commissioner and black Police Chief there may be some covert racial motivation involved in the Village Boards decision to abolish the Owego Police Department.
I believe that the publicity surrounding this issue has placed the safety of the public at risk by serving notice to the criminal element of society that there is currently a law enforcement deficiency due to a manpower controversy in the Village of Owego.
I feel that at the very least the local law should be immediately repealed by the Village of Owego Board of Trustees to allow time for further, information gathering, a study by a committee of concerned citizens, representing all facets of the community, and elected officials with representatives of both the Owego Police Department and the Tioga County Sheriff's Department. An example of what I mean would be that I have been involved in the current process and I have not yet been asked by the Village Board for information pertaining the actual activity and workload of the Owego Police Department.
Let's repeal the local law, take a breath, calm down and do an intelligent, meaningful and comprehensive study. Once the study is completed, let's take the time to educate the public properly on the findings and openly discuss with the public their options. If necessary, a referendum can be properly and successfully conducted which truly takes into account what's in the best interest of the Village of Owego.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Williams
Chief of Police