Credit: R.A. Hermans
Stanford wants to hire the Pine Plains Police Department.
Wendy Burton, the Stanford town supervisor, introduced the idea and has developed a proposal with the aid of John Hughes, the officer in charge of the Pine Plains Police Department who, coincidentally, is a Stanford resident.
The idea has progressed as far as Pine Plains’ attorney drafting a contract, the details of which Burton related at the Stanford Town Board’s Aug. 10 meeting.
According to Burton, Pine Plains would schedule four four-hour shifts every week where a Pine Plains officer would be stationed in Stanford, for which Stanford would pay $85 an hour.
Their main task would be traffic enforcement, but they could respond to 911 calls if needed and be available for events such as parades and celebrations. Several comments at the board meeting suggested that the cost of the program would be covered by the speeding tickets issued.
Stanford does not have a police force and relies of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Department and the state police for its law enforcement needs. Pine Plains has seven part-time officers and four police cars.
Hughes told the Town Board that even a small police presence would slow traffic on Route 82 in Stanfordville. He said the Pine Plains police have state of the art speed detection equipment, officers all have body cameras and dashboard cameras are being installed in all their cars on Aug, 24. He assured the board that all actions of his force are thoroughly logged and documented.
Speeding through Stanfordville’s 40 m.p.h. zone has long been a concern, and Burton said the town has been trying to get the speed limit reduced. After the board meeting, Burton said she plans to visit Marie Therese Dominguez, the New York State transportation commissioner, and “tell her to stop the red tape and let us change the speed limit.” She added that the town had even purchased speed advisory signs to tell drivers how fast their vehicle is going. These worked on Route 82 when they were there, but the signs are currently on Layton Road, the main detour around the lengthy bridge construction on Hunns Lake Road.
The contract will now be reviewed by Stanford’s attorney and then negotiated between the towns. Burton stated that the Pine Plains Town Board cannot vote on the proposal until Stanford approves a contract.
Stanford residents who spoke at the meeting seemed enthusiastic about having neighboring police help with Stanford’s traffic problem, though they were glad to hear from Hughes that the focus of enforcement will not be Stanford residents.
You can view the full discussion of this topic by clicking here. The policing agenda item begins at the 26:20 mark.