Boosting law enforcement to 24/7 coverage may be coming for Schoharie County and Cobleskill.
Charged with looking at merging the Cobleskill Police and county Sheriff’s Office, consultants from the Laberge Group laid out options Monday morning.
Two are possibilities; two aren’t.
One factor driving the study is a manpower shortage in both departments. There are no Sheriff’s deputies patrolling from 1am to 5am and no village police on duty from 1am to 7am.
Laberge’s Ben Syden and Kathleen Rooney gave four options to the county’s Law Enforcement Merger Committee:
1 Do nothing; keep the status quo.
2 Cobleskill Police cover from 7am to 1am; the Sheriff’s Office has county-wide coverage 24/7; and Cobleskill contracts with the county for “enhanced services” 1am to 7am.
•3 Cobleskill eliminates the Police Department. The Sheriff’s Office has county-wide coverage 24/7, and Cobleskill contracts with the county for enhanced services.
•4 Cobleskill eliminates police force, and the Sheriff’s Office covers county-wide without enhanced services for Cobleskill.
If the Sheriff’s Office covered Cobleskill, Mr. Syden said, it would get the coverage the rest of the county receives. But under the second and third options, the village could pay more for enhanced or increased coverage.
“If the village chips in for services, the village gets more,” Mr. Syden said.
He alluded to “what’s going on in Cobleskill now,” meaning the recent village action to restrict overtime, which may lead to losing more officers. Also, at least one officer may retire soon, and others may transfer to another department.
If that leaves the Cobleskill PD with only a few officers, it would have to contract with the county for additional coverage, Mr. Syden said.
Or with fewer officers, the second option could be in play, with a smaller Cobleskill force covering the village 7am to 1am and paying for enhanced services 1am to 7am.
Eliminating the Cobleskill PD may go to a permissive referendum, with village voters deciding the issue. If they voted no, that also may lead to the second option.
The other options, doing nothing or eliminating the Cobleskill PD and having the Sheriff’s Office cover everything without enhanced services, aren’t acceptable, Cobleskill Mayor Becky Terk said.
How public opinion would weigh in on the second and third options is a question.
“People outside the Village of Cobleskill would want to know what’s in it for them,” said Conesville Supervisor Bill Federice.
“It’s 24/7 coverage,” he said, answering his own question.
Sheriff Ron Stevens agreed, adding that adding one deputy patrol from 1am to 5am “would increase safety by 50 percent.”
He pointed out that there’s only one State Police car on patrol during that time; adding another would improve coverage.
When a speaker pointed out that the early-morning hours have little activity, Sheriff Stevens responded: “There’s little activity, but it’s critical activity.”
Mr. Syden emphasized that the study is in process and repeated, “Don’t rush it.” Committee members agreed.
Laberge will return in four to six weeks with options two and four fleshed out and with potential costs.