Relates to appointment of a superior officer in the police department of the village of Freeport

BILL NUMBER:A10034

Title of bill

An act relating to the appointment of a superior officer in the Village of Freeport police department

Purpose

This.legislation relates to the appointment of a superior officer in the police department of the village of Freeport.

Summary

Any person who has qualified to be appointed to the position of superior officer of lieutenant or above in any police department pursuant to the civil service laws of the state, the city of New York or the county of Nassau, shall be eligible for appointment to any post or position of superior officer in the Incorporated Village of Freeport, including chief of police, to which he or she may be appointed by the executive or legislative body of such village.

Justification

The Incorporated Village of Freeport is the second larg- est municipality in the State of New York and has one of the highest crime rates in the region. Its law enforcement needs are more akin to those of the cities of New York and Buffalo than to a Village. It has a large number of unemployed, poverty-level indigenous youth and a pletho- ra of undocumented aliens who cannot find work in the current economic climate. This has created a breeding and feeding ground for drug and other criminal gangs, which has led to a significant increase in quality of life crimes, as well a very high incidence of vehicle theft and violent crime -- the village has endured five (5) murders in the last eight months. of 2009 alone.

The Mayor of Freeport has taken bold steps to combat the growing crime, including implementation of a public-private surveillance network and a "shots fired" locator, as well as a request for an FBI substation and federal prosecution of interstate and overlapping U.S. Code criminal-ac- tivity.

Fiscal implications

None to the State

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.