Town Has Proposed to Eliminate Police K-9 Unit

The Yorktown Police Benevolent Association issued a statement asking residents to support the police department's K-9 Unit.

As part of Supervisor Susan Siegel's tentative proposed budget, she has the intention of eliminating the police department's K9 Unit as of January 1, 2011, as part of a money saving cost measurement. 

The PBA said the police department has continuously had a successful K9 unit since 1975. The department currently has two K9 handlers, Officers Swart and Foley, and their respective K9 dogs, "Caesar" and "Moose."  The dogs and the police officers have recently achieved the following:

• Located a missing 4-year old child unharmed
• Located a suicidal subject, after an extensive track over miles of rough terrain, preventing him from injuring himself
• Located a large quantity of cocaine and intercepted a dangerous drug dealer, who was fleeing the scene after stabbing his victim 
• Located a knife used in a stabbing, which occurred as a result of an argument between two individuals. This knife was later successfully used as evidence to convict the suspect of his crime.
• Additionally, the K9 Unit have investigated numerous area burglaries; tracked and captured assault and larceny suspects; located heroin, crack, cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, amphetamines, and other illegal drugs removed from the streets

Each dog and their handlers have received more than 1,000 hours of training. Both dogs are certified by New York State and other K9 certifying agencies in the following:

• Tracking - missing children, persons and suspects
• Article Searches - finding evidence or lost items
• Location Searches - open and wooded areas, commercial buildings and residential structures
• Suspect Apprehension - capturing fleeing felons, resulting in less risk to both the general public and the involved police officers
• Narcotic Detection - finding drugs "on the streets" that are harming and killing our children here in Yorktown

Officers Swart and Foley train and care for the dogs, they are not their personal pets, but rather town property. The dogs and their associated equipment were initially purchased through a New York State grant with no cost to the town. The annual cost for the dogs' food and vet bills totals $4,000, which is less than ½ of 1 percent of the department's annual budget, officials said.

The Yorktown Police Department's K9 Unit is asking resident to call or e-mail the elected Yorktown town board members by Friday Nov. 12, which is the day the town will discuss the budget. Members of the PBA will be attending to review Siegel's budget, which calls for the cuts for the first time.

Supervisor Susan Siegel: 914-962-5722 ext. 271 supervisor@yorktownny.org

Councilman Nick Bianco: 914-962-5722 ext. 418 nicgin245@aol.com

Councilman Jim Martorano: 347-268-6453 lohillss2@aol.com

Councilman Terrence Murphy: 914-557-0402 tmurphy@yorktownny.org

Councilman Vishnu Patel: 914-962-5722 ext. 419 vishnuv@optonline.net