Over the past week, town and village government officials came to terms on a contract that would enable village police officers to respond to situations in the town, with the goal to enhance the public safety coverage already in place.
“Really, it's essentially for emergency calls and for protection of life and property,” Kellogg said today. “It’s not all calls. It's just a supplement, an augment to the law enforcement that's already out there -- the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police.
“So, if they're unable to respond and need our assistance, we're certainly available to do that. But the contract is obviously to not take away from the level of service already provided.”
Town Supervisor Jim Farnholz, in calling it “win-win for everyone,” said village officers won’t patrol in the town – that will be left up to sheriff's deputies and troopers – but they will be available to assist on emergency calls, for example.
“It will decrease the response time to those in need,” he said.
He also emphasized that this action will save manpower in the long run when Le Roy officers are able to handle a situation and advise other agencies not to respond.
“The agreement also includes responding to Le Roy Central School (on South Street Road in the town),” Farnholz said. “We’ve been working on this for a year and we’re pleased to be able to reach an agreement.”
Kellogg said the municipalities had a similar arrangement from 1983 to 2010, but the contract expired and wasn’t renewed. He said the town reached out to the village to reinstate the service.
“The town is interested in providing that additional level of protection in the event that we're closest and we can get out there and assess the situation,” he said. “Obviously, we're not going to deploy any resources into the town and leave the village uncovered. Our priority is the protection of all property and persons within the village.”
The police department employs around 16 officers, including a resource officer in the Le Roy Central School District.
Village Mayor Greg Rogers credited Sheriff William Sheron, Undersheriff Bradley Mazur and County Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein for their input in leading to the contract, which calls for the town to pay the village $20,000 for a year’s worth of service.
“This is about giving the people in our area the best chance to succeed in emergency-type situations,” he said. “There are 14 miles of road in Le Roy and just about everyone in the village travels into the town on a regular basis.”
