White Plains CitizeNetReporter

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From the Gedney Association. October 5, 2021:

We are pleased to inform you that the Common Council voted unanimously against the 701 Westchester Avenue zoning proposal to build a 5-story apartment building containing approximately 350 units.

This is a key example of strength in numbers. The Gedney Association worked closely with the South end neighborhood associations including North Street Civic Association, Old Oaks Association, and Rosedale Residential Association. This coalition of neighborhood associations was essential in the Common Council’s decision to deny this application.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From the Westchester Department of Communications. (Edited). October 2, 2021:

Together with the Westchester County Office for Women, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Westchester Medical Center, Pace Women’s Justice Center, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, members the New Rochelle Police Department and domestic violence advocates from across Westchester, County Executive George Latimer announced the success of the Domestic Violence High Risk Training (DVHRT) Program.

Latimer said: “The impetus for this program, as successful as it has proven to be in our local police departments, is borne out of tragedy. We have seen murder-suicides here in Westchester County, and we did not like what we saw. But – we are problem solvers and we are innovators, and serious family violence and domestic partner violence is something that just will not be tolerated.

We have introduced this program in an attempt to limit future high risk domestic violence, and we have seen this training pay dividends in the communities who are using it. Survivors who have been part of this extraordinary program are the best promoters of the program, and play an active role in the police training. With their help, we have been able to work towards establishing long-term safety and security for these victims.”

The training program, which was recently completed by officers of the New Rochelle Police Department, uses a multi-disciplinary team-based approach to identify, serve and support victims of domestic violence who may be at risk of serious harm or homicide by their offender.

Within the past year the program has been implemented in Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, North Castle, Peekskill, Tuckahoe, Yorktown, Rye Brook, Eastchester, Sleepy Hollow, White Plains and Westchester County Department of Public Safety.

Lewisboro, North Salem, Bedford, Pound Ridge and Somers have been using the program since 2017, and the County hopes to start training Yonkers PD, the County’s largest municipal department, next month.. 

DVHRT, which is gradually being implemented into Westchester County’s local police departments, involves training responding police officers in the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), a danger assessment tool for law enforcement that they conduct at the scene of a domestic incident with trauma-sensitive interviewing techniques.

The County’s DVHRT Program is being used as a model for other counties across New York State, creating and solidifying a bond between law enforcement and domestic violence service providers to protect victims from harm and increase offender accountability.

The Westchester County Office for Women was just awarded a $1 Million dollar grant from the Department of Justice to continue implementing the high risk team over the next four years.

The current  training team includes members of the Westchester County Office for Women, the District Attorney’s Office, police chiefs from Pound Ridge and White Plains, the senior director of Westchester Medical Center’s Sexual Assault and Crime Victims Advocacy Program, civil legal services including Pace Women’s Justice Center, and a domestic violence survivor.

HOW DVHRT WORKS ON A POLICE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALL

When police officers respond to a domestic violence call, they are trained to use the lethality assessment tool to determine if the victim is at risk of being killed or seriously harmed by their partner. From the scene, responding officers call a 24/7 support line that is staffed by well-trained advocates at Westchester Medical Center.

The advocate will speak with the victim, offer safety planning and available resources, and make an immediate connection to the appropriate services. The Officer for Women schedules all training, reviews all LAP’s and monitors all DSVP referrals.

The New Rochelle Police Department most recently completed the training, and within the past year the program has been implemented in Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, North Castle, Peekskill, Tuckahoe, Yorktown, Rye Brook, Eastchester, Sleepy Hollow, White Plains and Westchester County Department of Public Safety. Lewisboro, North Salem, Bedford, Pound Ridge and Somers have been using the program since 2017, and the County hopes to start training Yonkers PD, the County’s largest municipal department, next month.. 

Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said: “The Domestic Violence High Risk Team and the Lethality Assessment Program are instrumental in our efforts to ensure victims of domestic violence are protected and that their abusers are held accountable in the criminal justice system. Through the LAP training, the District Attorney’s Office works with our law enforcement partners to train officers to evaluate the risk of danger present in a case, connect a survivor to resources immediately, use trauma-aware interview techniques to collect critical information, and possess a heightened sensitivity to the impact of abuse on survivors. The LAP training truly can make a difference in saving a victim’s life and I am so proud that our Special Prosecutions Division has played such a crucial role in this community safety initiative.”

Director of the Westchester County Office for Women Robi Schlaff said: “In the Office for Women, our utmost concern will always be protecting the safety of Westchester County’s residents and families, especially victims of domestic violence. We took a great deal of time investigating models that have been proven successful in assessing the gravest risk to families, and implementing enhanced safety protections.  We are fortunate to have the most professional and competent partners in law enforcement, the District Attorney’s office and our service providers, all of whom are committed to this mission of protecting our most vulnerable residents and families.”

Police Commissioner Thomas A. Gleason of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety said: “The Lethality Assessment Protocol gives police officers a practical tool they can use when they respond to any domestic incident.  It  enables them to better identify offenders who are at high-risk for taking the lives of their intimate partners and even their children. There is nothing theoretical about the potential for this kind of violence.   We know all too well that it can happen here because it has happened here. We were proud to be an original partner in bringing the Lethality Assessment Protocol to Westchester, and we have provided this training to our officers and made it a part of our Police Academy curriculum.”

Police Commissioner of the New Rochelle Police Department Robert Gazzola said: “The Domestic Violence High Risk Training Program recently conducted by the Westchester County Office for Women Collaborative Staff will ensure that our Officers know how to protect and serve victims of domestic violence, from identification and intervention on through to placement with specialized advocates.”

Executive Director of Pace Women’s Justice Center Cindy Kanusher said: “We are privileged to be a part of the DVHRT program. As a civil legal services provider representing victims of abuse, we understand the critical need for this training and for the LAP program in our county.  There is no doubt that training police on high risk factors, combined with referral protocols that provide emergency safety planning and enhanced services for victims will help to reduce the risk of continued serious and lethal violence for victims of domestic violence and save lives.”

Executive Director of Hope’s Door CarlLa Horton said: “Hope’s Door is grateful for the work of our many partners in the Westchester County Domestic Violence High Risk Team. We collaborate with one singular goal – to save the lives of domestic violence victims identified as high-risk for lethality or life-threatening assault. From the trained police officer responding on the scene, to the advocate at the medical center, to the counselors providing on-going support, to the prosecutors in the D.A.’s office – all of us are working together across systems to hold offenders accountable, to enhance victim safety, and to save lives. Hope’s Door joins with our partners in acknowledging the commitment to this collaborative work demonstrated by the New Rochelle Police Department.”

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WPCNR UPCOMING. By Paul Feiner, Greenburgh Town Supervisor. October 2, 2021:

ARE YOU CONFUSED ABOUT FEMA? ABOUT SBA?   MEETING TUESDAY AT 4:30 pm

Have you reached out to FEMA, SBA or your insurance company and been disappointed? Or, are you having good experiences, getting the financial help you need?

FEMA will also take applications at the Greenburgh Library Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM…Monday and Tuesday October 4 and 5  10 am to 6 pm

This Tuesday, at 4:30 PM a representative from the government affairs office of FEMA and SBA will attend a Town Board work session at Town Hall (177 Hillside Ave, White Plains).

If you have any questions about the financial assistance programs they offer or concerns please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com. We will ask the questions. You can also attend the meeting. Questions, problems people are having will be highlighted. Many residents have lost cars, suffered tens of thousands of dollars in property losses and our now struggling through government red tape. Some residents are staying in hotels and they still haven’t received any financial help or inadequate support.

If you need extra help we have a storm reliefs angel volunteer program and have been matching volunteers with residents. We hope to also give direct feedback as to what is working and not working with our congressional and state legislative delegation.

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From the Gedney Association. October 1, 2021:

The most important issue on the current calendar is the beginning of the update to the Comprehensive Plan. The City has started the process that will take place over the next year. The Gedney Board along with the Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA) are seeking refinements to the process that we believe will result in a greater number of residents being more directly involved. We hope to have a questionnaire for the residents of Gedney Farms soon.

In the meantime, outlined below is the preliminary Vision Statement of the Board. We ask for your input on this and any other recommendations you may have. Please email the Gedney Association at info@gedneyfarms.net with your input.

Regards,

John E. Sheehan

President
 

Gedney Farms Vision Statement:

Pertaining to Gedney Farms

• Preservation of Low-density single-family zoning
• Preservation of historic character of Gedney Farms
• Encourage Open Space Preservation
• Protection of Area Watercourses & Wetlands
• Reduce Cut-through traffic
• Preserve R-30 single family zoning on golf course properties

Pertaining to South End of City

• Protect low-density single-family zoning
• Prohibit Cut-through traffic on local streets
• Prohibit Multi-family apartments on existing or former low-density office parks
• Limit retail to community related needs and limit to existing local retail centers
• Maintain requisite fire and police services and consider future needs

Pertaining to City-Wide Issues

• Protect the delicate balance between Downtown and surrounding single-family neighborhoods
• Return to lower height restrictions of residential and office properties in Downtown zoning
• Limit multi-family housing to downtown
• Evaluate the decreasing role of retail development downtown
• Evaluate the decline and changes of the office market downtown
• Study the limits of new development due to limitations on sewer capacity, traffic congestion, school capacity and parkland and other facilities and services

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