WPCNR PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT. August 1, 2010:
A smokey fire resulted in evacuation of the White Plains YMCA on Mamaroneck Avenu Sunday morning, according to Jim Benerofe. Benerofe advised WPCNR the fire began about 11:15 A.M. and was under control by 11:45 A.M. No one was injured.Benerofe could not confirm exactly where the fire was, but had heard it started in the sauna. No one was injured.
WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By Assistant Police Chief, Anne FitzSimmons. August 1,2010:
On August 3, 2010 between 6 PM and 9 PM, the White Plains Department of Public Safety will for the first time be participating in the National
Night Out.
National Night Out is designed to: (1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
From 6 to 9 PM. on August 3rd, residents in neighborhoods throughout White Plains and across the nation are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and join forces at White Plains Department of Public Safety Building located at
77 South Lexington Ave.
This is a night for America to stand together to promote awareness, safety and neighborhood unity. National Night Out showcases the vital importance of police-community partnerships and citizen involvement in our fight to build a safer city. Neighborhoods nationwide are invited to
join in Giving Crime & Drugs a Going Away Party.
Along with the traditional outside lights and front porch vigils, The City of White Plains will celebrate *National Night Out* with an open house of the White Plains Public Safety Department along with a safety fair that will include a live band, and tables manned by various Community Service organizations. There will be free give aways, along with visits from elected officials representing our local government.
WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. July 31, 2010:
In the backup material backgrounding Monday evening’s Common Council meeting, WPCNR has learned that the council will award a death benefit of $86,717 to the widow of White Plains Police Detective Michael Perry who died June 12, 2010 in the line of duty, apprehending a shop-lifting suspect.
White Plains Police Detective Michael Perry
The death benefit represents an amount equal to the salary paid to Detective Perry during the year immediately preceding his death, and $1,000 each for his two children.
WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From James Maisano, County Legislator. (EDITED) July 29, 2010:
GOP legislators today discovered that an event arranged for the evening of Thursday July 29, 2010 was being billed as a Public Hearing, and was being sponsored by ‘The Westchester County Board of Legislators’ and held at the County Center. The event has been advertised through an e-mail campaign and official press releases sent on Friday July 23rd from the Board of Legislators’ Communication Department.
Republican legislators were never informed of this event. They were never even copied on the email announcement. Republicans claim a Board of Legislators Public Hearing must be part of an official agenda, and voted on by the entire board and this “rally” clearly was not.
Republican Board of Legislators leader James Maisano contends that on Monday July 26th the event “appeared” on the BOL schedule as being sponsored by the Community Services Committee of the Board, raising the initial concern of the GOP legislators.
“As the only GOP member of the Community Services Committee I was never informed of the event and have serious concerns about it taking place under the auspices of the Board, “ stated Legislator John Testa (R-Peekskill) during his committee meeting on Tuesday July 27th. “It is an obvious political rally and has no governmental purpose. It raises serious questions about the abuse of taxpayer funded resources to not only create the advertising but to secure the
“As elected officials we must be very careful with the public’s money. The Board has been through this before where taxpayer funded resources were used inappropriately. “A lesson should have been learned through the Gary Kriss fiasco,”says Gordon A. Burrows (R-Yonkers).
“To date we have not received any official notification of this event,” says Sheila Marcotte (R-Tuckahoe) “This was strictly a one-sided operation, with no notice to any Republican on the Board. We found out about it second hand and county taxpayers are stuck with the tab, over $1500, to rent the
The invitation carries the theme of an invitation to a ‘public hearing’ to save childcare in
” This was a blatant use of board staff and funds for a political purpose and shows a callous disregard for not only the taxpayer but the principles of transparency and accountability. If this was a true public hearing we all would have been properly notified and it would be held in the Board Chamber,” stated Minority Leader Jim Maisano (R-New Rochelle).