White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Council to Study Organization of Public Safety Department.

The 10 O'Clock News Edition, by John F. Bailey, Filed 3/6/02, 10:00 AM EST: The Common Council will meet Wednesday evening at 6 PM in the Mayor’s Conference Room to discuss studying the impact of reorganizing the Public Safety Department, specifically making the police and fire departments separately functioning departments with autonomous commissioners.

Hickey Holds On

The Common Council has also delayed indefinitely the appointment of a new Commissioner of Public Safety, pending the completion of the study. The Mayor’s Office advised that Acting Commissioner of Public Safety, Daniel Hickey, will continue to serve as Acting Commissioner until the study is completed, "in about a couple of months." Upstate Think Tank Studying Rochester Police Expected to be appointed.

The Common Council is expected tonight to authorize the appointment of the Center for Government Research, CGR, to conduct the long-awaited study of the impact, positive or negative of splitting the city’s police and fire departments. For decades, the city has operated the police and fire units under one Commissioner.

Fire Department Wish

The White Plains Professional Firefighters Union has long lobbied the Common Council for autonomy from the police department. The WPPF asserts that a Fire Commissioner with career experience in firefighting would be better able to address the equipment, personnel deployment, and organization of the Fire Department than a Commissioner without that experience.

Council previously did not want to touch the issue.

A year ago, the Common Council had an opportunity to do that. However, after the Mayor's Office issued requests for proposals, the Council found that Ernst & Young, the consulting firm, would have charged the city $200,000 for that study, and CGR, $95,000. The study was put off by the Common Council. Now, with the Public Safety Commissioner position vacant, the issue has risen again.

CGR on assignment with Westchester County Association.

CGR (for Center for Government Research) is expected to be appointed. CGR is a government think tank, “a nonprofit center for objective policy analysis and pragmatic change,” that has been in existence since 1915 when it was founded by George Eastman of the Kodak Company in Rochester, NY, to offer “management assistance to governments.”

Currently, according to CGR, they are under contract with the Rochester Police Department to evaluate delivery of police services. They also conducted a study of the Niagara County workforce in 1999, and reported working with the Westchester County Association.

The organization in the last decade appears to concentrate its assignments in western New York State. Members of the New York Conference of Mayors are prominent on the CGR Board of Directors, including the Mayor of Rochester.

Their assignment with the Westchester County Association is studying legislature-mandated expenditures in Westchester County compared to similar counties in other states; how diversified housing options could continue economic growth by attracting more of a middle class workforce, and the impact of e-commerce on the county sales tax base.

Studied Rochester Police

The CGR assignment with the Rochester Police appears similar to what they would be expected to evaluate in White Plains. They are studying the costs and benefits of 5 versus 7 patrol sectors in the city, accountability and communication issues, impact of costs and ability to meet demands.

Hickey Twists in Wind on Indefinite Hold.

The study impacts the city search for a new Commissioner of Public Safety, which has been put on hold by the Common Council, according to the Mayor’s Office, while the study of reorganizing the departments is completed.

The Mayor’s office in a statement, reported that the Common Council has asked that no city recommendation for a new Commisioner be made until the process of studying reorganization is completed. Any appointment of Mr. Hickey, or other candidate to the vacant position will be delayed until that time. This means that Acting Commissioner Daniel Hickey will continue to make the decisions on a job he does not officially have yet. He has already been the de facto Commissioner of Public Safety for two months. Police, Fire unions watch with keen interest.

The heads of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association, the police union, and the White Plains Professional Firefighters will be scrutinizing CGR’s work with keen interest. Contract negotiations for both unions begin shortly.

The Mayor’s office reported that fire negotiations had been opened, but would not comment on any issues raised by the firefighters at this time as a matter of procedure. Police negotiations will open later in the year.

The study the Common Council is about to commission will be watched with an eye towards personel impacts, benefits, salaries and organization recommendations by the police and fire unions.


Create an account		The White Plains Daily Internet Newspaper...Founded 2000 A.D....


			Designed and hosted by WestchesterInternet.com