MONTICELLO – The Monticello Village Board’s consideration of dissolving the police department and replacing it with a police district that would include the shopping center district in the Town of Thompson, has come under fire from the Sullivan County PBA, the union representing the sheriff’s road patrol division.
“While the PBA applauds Mayor Nikolados’ and the village board’s attempts to raise revenue for the village and its police department, it seems a bit disingenuous to create more government and the increased taxes that come with it, especially when most governments including the State of New York are seeking to consolidate services and government,” said PBA President Jack Harb.
The union president questioned the mayor’s comment to Mid-Hudson News that Monticello Police handle calls outside the village limits 25 percent of the time.
Harb said in many cases the village police department is statutorily prohibited from handling calls outside its limits.
“While it is true that MPD does leave village limits to back up the sheriff’s office or State Police, this is for officer safety and professional responsibility reasons, not to handle calls for service,” the union president said. “If MPD officers are leaving the village to handle calls it is because they choose to, not because they are required to.”
He also noted Monticello PD has recently lost several officers to other departments and is now operating with minimal personnel. That resulted in the department having to discontinue its school resource officer program resulting in the sheriff’s office picking up the service.
Harb said the manpower shortage has also resulted in an increase of calls for service in Monticello by the sheriff’ s office or State Police.
“The bottom line is that the sheriff’s office and State Police “already provide police service in and around the Village of Monticello,” he said. “Mayor Nikolados’ plan is just an attempt to acquire more funding for the village at the expense of the taxpayers who, live, work and shop in Sullivan County.”
Harb said there are “far better ways to fund the Monticello Police Department that what Mayor Nikolados is proposing. The Sullivan County PBA would be more than happy to assist the mayor with some suggestions.”
