News from Westchester County.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TRAFFIC ADVISORY ENTRANCE RAMP CLOSURE FENNIMORE ROAD TOWN OF GREENBURGH PATHWAY CONSTRUCTION ROADWAY: Fennimore Road entrance ramp to the southbound Bronx River Parkway. LIMITS: Fennimore Road and the Southbound Bronx River Parkway WHAT: Pathway construction. IMPACTS: The entrance ramp to the southbound Bronx River Parkway from Fennimore Road will closed to motorists. WHEN: Monday, May 20, 2019, between the hours of 10:00 AM and 2:30 PM. WHO: Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation contract #11-151R. For additional information please contact Westchester County Traffic Engineering Division at (914) 995-2555. WESTCHESTER COUNTY HOSTS HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING DAY EVENT ON MAY 18. The County Will Hold the HRD Event at the Material Recovery Facility in Yonkers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.   (Yonkers, NY) – Westchester County’s Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) will be conducting a Household Recycling Day (HRD) Event on Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the County’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF), located in Yonkers, at exit 6A off I-87, opposite Home Depot and Stew Leonard’s.   On April 6, DEF conducted the first HRD Event of the year at FDR State Park, in Yorktown Heights. 3,025 households delivered 82,000 lbs. of household waste, and 18,000 lbs. of documents for shredding to that event. Last year, the Department held three HRD Events, the first ones held in the County since 2012, and they were a huge success. Events held at the MRF, FDR State Park and Rye Playland attracted over 7,250 visitors, who delivered over 200,000 lbs. of household waste.   In addition to properly labelled household chemicals and other special wastes found in a typical household, residents can bring documents for shredding and expired or unwanted medications for disposal to the May 18 HRD Event at the MRF.   Generally, the following items are accepted for safe disposal or recycling:   ·         Properly labelled household chemicals, such as: o   Household cleaning products o   Most automotive fluids (antifreeze, brake fluid, gasoline but not motor oil) o   Flammable liquids (kerosene, butane, lighter fluid, turpentine) o   Metal, jewelry and furniture polishes and waxes; wood preservatives o   Fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides o   Photographic and swimming pool chemicals   ·         Batteries – only vehicle, rechargeable, or button cell ·         Fluorescent light bulbs & CFLs ·         Fire extinguishers ·         BBQ propane tanks (up to 20 lbs.) ·         Mercury containing devices (thermometers and thermostats) ·         Electronic waste (TVs, computer monitors and towers) ·         Expired or unwanted medications, both OTC and prescription ·         Personal documents for shredding (limit of four (4) file-size boxes per household) ·         Tires   Items that will not be accepted and should not be brought to the Household Recycling Day include paint (both latex and oil), non-rechargeable alkaline and carbon zinc batteries (they can be safely discarded in the trash), motor oil, smoke detectors, cell phones, explosives (flares, fireworks, ammunition), construction debris and hypodermic needles. Also, waste from businesses, schools or other institutions will not be accepted.   For more information on what to bring to this event, visit www.westchestergov.com/recycling or call (914)813-5425.   If you can’t make it to the HRD Event, you can still dispose of your hard-to-get-rid-of household waste by visiting the County’s Household-Material Recycling Facility (H-MRF), 15 Woods Rd., Valhalla. The H-MRF is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. by appointment and accepts the same items that are accepted at the HRD events. For more information about the H-MRF or to make an appointment, visit http://environment.westchestergov.com/new-h-mrf or call (914) 813-5425.     WESTCHESTER COUNTY POLICE MARK NATIONAL POLICE WEEK 2019. Awards ceremony, memorial tribute to fallen heroes held.   (Hawthorne, NY) -- Westchester County Police marked National Police Week by hosting a Department Awards ceremony, honoring 18 fallen officers at a memorial service and creating a video tribute to the men and women who serve today.   At this year’s annual department awards ceremony, 45 officers were honored for bravery, investigative skill, lifesaving and other outstanding police work performed in the last year.  The awards covered a broad range of incidents and investigations handled by members of the Patrol Services Division, Detective Division, Special Operations Division and Special Investigations Unit.   The ceremony included a memorial tribute to 18 officers who died in the line of duty from the Department of Public Safety or its predecessor agencies – the Westchester County Sheriff’s Department and the Westchester County Parkway Police.   The Department of Public Safety was created on July 1, 1979, through a merger of the Sheriff’s Department and Parkway Police. In honor of the Department’s upcoming 40th anniversary, a video tribute to officers past and present was shown at the ceremony. It can be found at https://bit.ly/2M1JWyS   County Executive George Latimer this week expressed his appreciation to the County Police and the entire Westchester law enforcement community. “As is often said – but can never be said too often – police officers are the first responders who are tasked with running toward an emergency while the rest of us run away. Police officers swear an oath to keep us safe, often putting themselves in danger, and still carry on as mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends and neighbors in their civilian life. On this Police Week 2019, be sure to keep in our thoughts these heroic folks who make it their duty to protect us - while we must be sure to do what we can to support them,” Latimer said. Public Safety Commissioner Thomas A. Gleason and Deputy Commissioner Terrance Raynor presided over the Department Awards Ceremony, which was held at the Westchester County Center.   “Across our shared history, 18 members of the Westchester County Police, the Parkway Police and the Sheriff’s Department have made the ultimate sacrifice. Keep them in your hearts this week,” Gleason said. “The most important way we honor these heroes is by bringing the same dedication, courage and professionalism to our work as they did to theirs.  I thank all of you for keeping that commitment every day.” Those fallen heroes are: Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith, 1792; P.O. Raymond Tehan, 1925; Special P.O. John Murphy, 1928; P.O. George Segnit, 1929; P.O. Clifton Cypher, 1930; P.O. Michael Erdley, 1933; P.O. Manuel Borgos, 1938; P.O. Reuben Conklin, 1943; P.O. Carlos Bishop, 1946; P.O. John Chabala Jr., 1948; P.O. George Ruthven, 1954; P.O. Francis Bradley, 1960; P.O. James Groark, 1966; Deputy Sheriff William Fitzgerald, 1968; P.O. John Gonda, 1969; Deputy Sheriff Kieran Grant, 1979; P.O. Gary Stymiloski, 1985; and Sgt. Charles Rice, Jr., 2009. Patrol and Special Operations officers were honored for apprehending fleeing criminals; de-escalating encounters with armed suspects and persons in emotional crisis; responding without hesitation to a reported active shooter incident; handling explosive devices sent to two prominent Westchester residents and preserving critical evidence for federal officials; tracking and locating lost and endangered persons; and saving the lives of persons suffering medical emergency or injury, including rescuing a man drowning in the Hudson River, aiding a parole officer who suffered a life-threating, accidental gunshot wound; and freeing a motorist trapped inside an overturned car that was in danger of exploding from leaking gasoline.   Detectives were recognized for a variety of successful and complex investigations, including a fatal hit-and-run incident, rape and other sexual assault cases, and an interstate armed robbery ring that included criminals posing as police officers.   Awards were issued as follows:   Meritorious Service Medal: Sgt. Brian Bosan, Sgt. Dave Minet, Sgt. Edward Devlin, Sgt. Michael Ritell, Detective Brandon Amlung, Detective Anthony Cucinell, Detective Kenneth Hasko, Detective Nicholas Piqueras, Detective George Ruiz, Detective Thomas Barker, Detective Jonathan Gould, Detective Edward Kelch, Detective Jose Puig and Police Officer ChristyLee Sansone.   Excellent Police Duty Medal was Captain Paul Stasaitis.   Commendable Police Duty Medal: Lt. Jeffrey Weiss, Sgt. Brian Bosan, Sgt. Michael Demaio, Sgt. Anthony Morizio, Sgt. Vincent Antonecchia, Sgt. Paul Cusano, Sgt. James Harrison, Sgt. Jeffrey Slotoroff,  Detective Antonio Correia, Detective Robert Barber, Detective Joseph Donza, Detective Glenna Lunn, Detective Edward Kelch, Detective Brandon Amlung, Police Officer Scott Forsythe, Police Officer Michael Huffman, Police Officer Sean Lonergan, Police Officer Richard Pucillo, Police Officer Wilberto Saez, Police Officer Colin Breen, Police Officer Christopher Guziczek, Police Officer Richard Lepore, Police Officer Brian Poplawski, Police Officer Matthew Rokicki and Police Officer brian Tierney. Receiving the Lifesaving Medal were: Detective C.J. Westbrook, Police Officer Michael Hamborsky, Police Officer Wilberto Saez, Police Officer Elena Cotto, Police Officer Efrain Rivera and Police Officer Nicholas Zebrowski.   The Unit Citation was presented to the Ceremonial Unit. National Police Week events have been held since 1962, when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation that designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.    DURING POLICE WEEK, COUNTY EXECUTIVE LATIMER ROLLS OUT LEGISLATION TO BETTER . MONITOR PRECIOUS METALS AND GEMS SOLD AT PAWN SHOPS TO HELP LAW ENFORCEMENT FIGHT CRIME.   Watch Full Press Conference HERE.   (White Plains, NY) – Law enforcement has identified an increase in crimes related to stolen goods which coincides with the onset of the opioid and heroin epidemic - and while laws currently exist to regulate precious metal and gem dealers, they are in need of an update to keep up with advancements in technology and changes in law enforcement trends.   That is why, in a bi-partisan effort, County Executive George Latimer, Legislators Margaret Cunzio and Kitley Covill, the Department of Public Safety and the County’s Consumer Protection Department are updating these laws to help protect consumers from unscrupulous business activity and ensure that our County remains a safe place to live.   Latimer said: “We are here to identify an action that we're taking in the Legislature and then the Executive Branch that, during this the end of National Police week, will help law enforcement professionals do their job a little bit better. We often talk about standing behind the brave men and women of law enforcement, and sometimes it's a ‘showy’ type of situation - but sometimes it involves very specific and technical details that will improve their ability to enforce the laws. That is what this legislation represents.”   Since secondhand dealers are often used to dispose of stolen goods, controls and regulations on the industry would assist in preventing the proliferation of these goods being sold for quick cash which is then in turn used to purchase drugs. The proposed local law would require metal and gem dealers to not only maintain written records of their transactions, but also submit daily electronic records of each transaction they make. This will provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to combat the secondhand sale of stolen, or otherwise illegally obtained, goods.   Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Gleason said: “I thank County Executive Latimer, County Attorney Nonna, Legislators Covill and Cunzio and Consumer Protection Director Jim Maisano for being such staunch supporters of law enforcement and being sympathetic when we brought our concerns regarding this needed revision to the legislation to their attention. It's critically important, especially in this day and age, to try to combat the sales of stolen property. The way that the law was on the books, which required paper submissions, was so far behind the times that changing to an electronic submission, in and of itself, is going to be a huge tool for us in crime-fighting.”   Consumer Protection Director Jim Maisano said: “This is clearly one of those situations where we needed to update the laws of Westchester to better catch thieves. The only way we can catch the thieves is to update technology to get this data transferred very quickly so we can identify those items and get them back for the person that lost them before they're sold and lost forever. That is why these updates are so important.”   Covill said: “As an ex-ADA, someone would come in to make a complaint, having already gone to the detective bureau, and I'd hold my head in my hands because I knew that the system was so antiquated. This is real-life stuff that will make a future ADA say ‘I know, let's call and check the records’ and it'll help law enforcement say ‘this is good, we know, let's get a good description and we're going find that for you.’ This is really a wonderful way to make sure that we again reinforce that this is a safe and good community.”   Cunzio said: “Anyone that has ever had or known somebody that has had something stolen from you especially something with sentimental value knows that time is of the essence. So this legislation will enable law enforcement to do their job, to do it efficiently, effectively and hopefully this will have a positive impact on our constituency. So if somebody does have something stolen from them we can get that information out there and hopefully get it back to the rightful owner.”   This proposed local law would make sweeping changes to the current version of the law regulating precious metal and gem dealers which has not been otherwise updated since 1985.