Mayor’s Column: January 31, 2022.
So many of you have remarked t
I also noticed the shift as a pedestrian as one seems now to take their life in their hands at marked crosswalks without mechanized signals.
Your comments to me and anecdotal evidence prompted me to do a little research to see if current motorists are of a different breed.
After doing some homework, I have learned that many scientists who have studied this behavior in the past year and a half attribute a good bit of it to the pandemic.
In 2020, despite millions of workers staying home and traffic plummeting, there were an estimated 39,000 auto related deaths in the United States, representing a 7% increase from 2019. As traffic started to normalize last year, roadway deaths jumped 18%, marking the biggest six-month increase since the federal government began tracking fatal crashes in 1979.
At the very local level, I am sure you read about the motorist in Yonkers who drove into an oncoming sedan at such a high speed that the collision split the other vehicle in half killing four recent Yonkers high school graduates. Scientists believe that accidents like this are happening because as highways and roads became emptier because of Covid, it became easier for drivers to accelerate to unprecedented speeds.
In other areas of driving, to excuse the pun, we have also gone in reverse as it has been documented that fewer drivers are buckling their seatbelts, more are driving while using their phones and as alcohol sales and drug overdoses have
soared during the pandemic, so have DUI’s.
Among accidents resulting in death from serious injuries, the proportion of drivers who tested positive for opiates has nearly doubled since 2020 in tandem with marijuana use increasing substantially. But many would argue that sober drivers are also acting like they’re racing in the Indy 500.
After doing targeted research, I learned there is an unprecedented consensus that this driving behavior is an under discussed impact of life during Covid as it is a manifestation of aggressive and antisocial behavior. It represents as symptoms of widespread feelings of isolation, depression, resentment and despair. Driving has also served as an outlet for rebellion and boredom after being so cooped up for many months.
Though this driving behavior is well documented, scientists note the amazing spike in air rage incidents and assaults on healthcare workers and waiters. Combine this with supply chain shortages, extreme weather disasters and unprecedented political and social divisions and we have sadly a perfect storm for stressed behavior. Marissa Iati in the New York Times calls it, “collective trauma.”
No quarter of the United States has been spared this phenomenon as rural areas continue to suffer a disproportionate number of crashes and the plague has certainly hit New York City. The City introduced reforms in 2014 aimed at eliminating traffic deaths within a decade. Unfortunately, traffic related deaths actually shot up in the city in 2020, well beyond the numbers of 2014.
As is reported so often in the city based papers, pedestrian deaths have counted for much of the spike in these car related fatalities. In fairness, the upward trend actually began before the pandemic with roughly 600 pedestrians killed in 2019, more than a 50% increase from a decade earlier. Of the pedestrian fatalities, speed is the determinative with fast driving on local roads the major factor especially in areas that have speed limits above 30 mph. Compounding the issue is the proliferation of larger, heavier vehicles like SUVs on the road which inflict more grievous injuries.
So how do we change direction?
Scientists all agree that the solution is quite simple – get drivers to slow down.
However, it seems to be a particularly difficult problem for American drivers as our road system itself has actually been engineered to maximize speed and when in doubt, designers always cut the size of the sidewalk in favor of more traffic lanes. There just doesn’t seem to be a huge appetite to tackle this issue. In fact, Virginia recently raised the threshold for reckless driving from 80 to 85 mph and more than 20 states recently had traffic safety legislation die in committee because legislators feared a political backlash from the voting motorist. As a result, the US suffers twice as many traffic related deaths per capita than any other developed country.
Belgium, Spain, France, and the Czech Republic had rates comparable to the US in 2000 but have since cut them in half. The Netherland’s car fatality rate, once higher than even ours, is now one-third of the US total as a result of a campaign of street narrowing and the addition of curves to force drivers to slow down. They also adopted a fairly new practice called a “continuous sidewalk” which extends a sidewalk straight through intersections, giving pedestrians the clear right of way.
Net net, every researcher felt it was time to elevate people’s lives over motorists’ freedom.
You may recall that at approximately this time last year, in response to Governor Cuomo‘s directive, the Village of Bronxville formed a Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC). The members of the PCRC were chosen to represent a wide array of constituents across the Village ranging from clergy, merchants, residents, students, police officers and members of the judiciary with forums for public input.
After multiple meetings and engaged and diverse public discourse, it became quite clear that the Bronxville Police Department and Village government could do a better job informing the community about the roles our police play and in particular the level of police training, department policies and activity with more effective communication and transparency as such communication could only help strengthen the bonds between the BPD and the community.
Most importantly, the Committee emphasized that the communication between the Police Department and the residents be an ongoing pattern of disclosure and not simply to fulfill the task mandated by the state and then end the conversation.
To that end, the committee’s first recommendation was quite specific— to enhance the community’s understanding and awareness of our Village police activities and policies by:
Some specific examples of this included less lethal weapon training for all members of the BPD, expanded de-escalation training to all members and partnering with the departments in the Village of Tuckahoeand the Town of Eastchester to increase training opportunities.
With the exception of the annual report or a “State of the Police Department” message which will take place in April, all of the above recommendations have been met and dare I say quite exceeded.
Before sharing some of the newest developments, I want to recap our department so as to put everything in perspective.
Our force, from a historic high of 28 officers now has 23 officers, three of whom were added in the past month in response to community input for more foot patrol especially in the business districts. On each one of the three daily shifts, we have two police cars with one officer each patrolling the Village as well as an officer answering the central phone system. In addition is our new foot patrol, added bike patrols and traffic enforcement. Of our officers, two are female, one is of Hispanic lineage and speaks fluent Spanish, one is of Jamaican descent, one was born in Ghana and speaks fluent Twi – Ashanti dialect, and one is African American. The result is one of the most diverse departments in the county.
On average, the police desk receives approximately 3300 calls yearly, 90% of all arrests resulting from these calls asking for assistance, be it for witnessing shoplifting, a burglary, etc. As example, a staffer from one of our businesses may call and ask the PD to take a shoplifter into custody.
In the past 13+ years, each with an average of 3100 calls. We have had zero false arrest claims. As to our interface with the Bronxville School, of our 23 officers 11 have now been certified as youth officers and two additional officers are certified as school resource officers, requiring an even higher level of training. Sergeant Nicholas DeYoung is also on the school district Safety Committee which meets monthly.
Prior to the most recent training quarter from October 2021 to January 1, 2022, our officers completed elder abuse training, countywide in-service training at the County Police Academy including de-escalation training; an FBI program for ranking officers which trained in leadership and proper supervision of fellow police officers; specialized training in the use of Narcan which is carried on every tour; training in the specialized response needed when the person needing help is autistic and weapons and taser training above and beyond that required by New York State including proficiency in the use of pepper spray, pepper ball guns, tasers and beanbag rounds.
Thanks to all of this training during Chief Satriale‘ s tenure, there have been zero use of excessive force complaints, no racial discrimination assertions and no lawsuits claiming false arrest. Net net our village policies go far beyond any state or national standards.
In October, the department held four days of active shooter training at the former Concordia College campus in conjunction with the Tuckahoe and Eastchester PD’s.
In addition to active shooter response tactics , the officers were trained in County wide mutual aid protocols as well as proper integration of active shooter response with our neighboring communities. The training culminated in force on force scenarios to test the tactics learned.
In the area of highly specialized training, two officers attended a three day NYS Division of Criminal Justice sponsored course that taught the concepts and principles of breath alcohol testing resulting in certification as breath analysis operators.
Three officers attended a 40 hour Community Resource Officer course given by the state of New York Juvenile Officers Association. The course certified each of our officers as a Community Resource Officer trained to assist our community in the new direction of police interaction and advanced community policing. Course topics included implementing and promoting the CRO concepts, implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, understanding mental health/special-needs, presentation and communication skills, social media crimes and tools for CRO promotion, and advanced record keeping.
To get our three new hires to Bronxville PD standards, they recently completed training including: Department Range Qualification in their Glock 22 duty weapon, off duty handgun, patrol rifle and pepper ball gun.
In addition, they completed classroom training on de-escalation tactics, taser qualification, Use of Force Policy, legal updates, vehicle pursuit policy, juvenile law, bail reform updates and certification in body worn camera use.
The above is just a small sampling of the 2,485 training hours by our department in the calendar year 2021.
I urge you to go to the Bronxville Police Department website to learn with even greater depth the operation of our force.
Mayor’s Column: January 18, 2022.
This is the time of year when Village
In an incredibly bipartisan effort, the program is developed and approved by official’s state wide who share the common objective: to provide local leaders with the resources and discretion to deliver municipal services in the most effective and responsive manner for the taxpayers we serve.
Our own Village Administrator, Jim Palmer, has a major role in this year’s deliberations as he is President of the New York State City/County Management Association and serving as the Affiliate Representative on the NYCOM Board, quite frankly an honor bestowed on only those of great skill and experience.
Our first goal has been for at least 15 years plus to increase State Aid by sending money back to the cities and villages.
The re-investment of state tax revenues back to the municipal governments that support the generation of such tax revenue is essential to the strength of our communities, the retention and growth of the alarmingly declining New York State population base and the lowering of the property tax burden on our residents. Unlike aid to schools, which has increased every year, New York State has failed to increase this essential reinvestment to municipalities for an astonishingly 13 years.
Number two on the list in terms of importance is to provide dedicated funding for local water and sewer infrastructure. Since 2017, the state has provided millions of dollars in grant money through a Clean Water Infrastructure Act to help municipal governments address water emergencies in particular. Sadly, local officials have found that funding is not readily available for upgrades or preventive maintenance, rather applicants need to demonstrate an emergency situation and not simply the need to prevent an emergency. In essence, the program rewards communities who ignore preventive maintenance and then reach out for funds requiring double and triple the cost of repair if the issue has been dealt with through an intelligent infrastructure capital plan.
Our group, NYCOM, supports the establishment of an annual funding stream that could be used by all cities and villages to supplement water infrastructure operation and maintenance costs which would help to prevent more significant and costly emergency situations and repairs.
As a yearly occurrence, the State sends money to improve roadways based on a formula related to local highway mileage and vehicle traffic. Whatever the amount received locally has been passed vastly surpassed by the additional costs incurred by state mandates. As example, the recent ADA requirements to provide curb ramps to ensure access to sidewalks and all pedestrian walkways is an undertaking in the millions. This very understandable and necessary change became law with no additional state funding and impacts most severely small communities that are highly walkable.
While the 2% tax cap, initiated by former Governor Cuomo, was to control the growth of property tax levies, as municipal officials we have all identified significant unintended consequence that have developed particularly with respect to economic growth. We should be able, as school districts, are to have the ability to invest in infrastructure and promote revitalization without it affecting the tax cap. We advocate the tax cap be amended to exclude municipal expenditures relating to public infrastructure in the same way it applies to school districts as it now serves as a disincentive for preventive maintenance.
Not at the top of the list but truly an endemic problem is the need to amend the civil service appointment process which is arcane at best. The civil service system truly hamstrings local officials when trying to hire the person that would best fit a particular community.
For example, there is a provision called “the rule of three” which means the top three scorers, solely on a written exam, must be hired before you can touch the dozens of other people on the list regardless of whether these folks have the personality, the social IQ or the skill set needed in your particular community.
Bronxville has personally waited months and months with the hope that the top three exam scores get jobs so we can hire the person who would most fit our needs. The system doesn’t make sense and honestly it’s not in the best interest of the taxpayers that these candidates are hired to serve.
An issue that is in the papers on a daily basis is the State bail reform law enacted in 2019. While the purpose of bail is to ensure that defendants return to court for subsequent court proceedings, it has also historically provided the ancillary benefit of keeping dangerous individuals off the streets. However, under the new law, judges have limited ability to consider public safety as a factor in making bail determination. The Mayors’ Association supports the law being amended to clearly allow New York’s criminal court judges to consider the danger that defendants pose to the public when weighing the option of setting bail. In making such a determination, judges should be required or at least allowed to take into account prior record, the strength of the case and the nature of the current offense. Such is not the case currently.
As mayors and administrators our batting average as to reforms enacted wouldn’t even get us to the minor leagues but we press on with the hopes that as the electeds change, perhaps the needs of local government may become a priority.
In the old days of the Bronxville School, on occasion we received “Good News Grams” from teachers that were so welcome.
As I write this column, I harken back to this wonderful tradition as I feel lucky enough to start the year sending one to fellow Villagers - just hoping the good news continues throughout the year!
Iona College officially closed on its acquisition of the 28 acre Concordia College campus on December 7. This enables Iona to move forward with creating a new home for the New York Presbyterian/Iona School of Health Services supported by a $20 million gift from New York/Presbyterian. Iona President, Dr. Seamus Carey, said, “The school will offer a new vision for collaborative healthcare education and in addition we expect Iona’s Bronxville campus to also become a vibrant hub of activity where world class seminars, speakers, performing arts, athletics, summer camps and more will be hosted.” Classes on the Bronxville campus are expected to commence in January 2023.
The Picture House Regional Film Center, formerly the Pelham Picture House, is expanding its operations to our venerable theatre, opened continuously since 1929 until the COVID crisis. The film center will be extending its film and educational program to our historic venue on Kraft Avenue. The three screen configuration will allow for ever more wide-ranging and varied programming of new, independent, foreign and documentary films.
We are enormously grateful for the collaboration of so many parties involved - The Picture House Board, Bow Tie Cinemas, Admiral Real Estate, the Village Board of Trustees and the dozens of Villagers who care passionately about keeping our theatre alive - to make this a reality for an expected opening in late February.
I also share very positive news as it relates to our Police Department. In response to our survey associated with our recent Village Comprehensive Plan to which over 800 of you responded, where the vast majority of you asked for more foot patrol and police presence in our business district not only to connect with Villagers and merchants but also to deal with the never ending problem of cars crossing the double yellow line to garner parking spaces. We heard you and we listened and we are welcoming three new police officers to the force to get us to a complement of 23 officers, a place we were at probably over 25 years ago. I introduce these three fine men, all experienced police officers and all chosen from a huge pool of incredibly qualified candidates.
Please welcome Officer Joseph Amoruso, born 26 years ago in New Rochelle Hospital and growing up in walking distance of the Village. An incredibly astute young man; he is a graduate of Saunders High School and started his career with the White Plains PD in 2019 where his professional training includes radar, taser and shot gun expertise.
Officer Ahmed Danso-Faried, Ghanaian born and raised in Tuckahoe where his parents still make their home. A proud citizen since 1996, he is married to Temina and currently resides in White Plains. He also reached the rank of Captain in the US Army. A White Plains police officer since 2017 prior to joining us, his professional training includes Vehicle Counter Ambush Tactics and Active Shooter training.
Another veteran of the White Plains PD, Justin Sokol was born and raised in nearby Yonkers. His grandmother was a longtime resident of Midland Gardens. A graduate of Stepinac High School and SUNY Empire State College, he also holds a diploma from the New York City Police Academy.
All three officers have been certified in all the rigors of our departmental requirements and as I write, are going through additional training to become Emergency Medical Technicians.
In closing, I urge you to start the new year off by subscribing to the Village’s new on-line newsletter as it gives a comprehensive, real time look at the personnel and workings of Village government and services offered.
Also, our website has been upgraded, enhanced and very user friendly with access to all available forms you may need to transact Village business.
