It’s looking like the best solution to the Village of Cobleskill’s Police Department troubles could be a deal with the Sheriff’s Office—something that would also give all of Schoharie County 24/7 coverage.
Consultants from the Laberge Group reviewed the draft results of their cop coverage study for members of supervisors’ Law Enforcement Merger Committee Tuesday.
Option 2—the Cobleskill PD continues to provide coverage from 7am-12am with the Sheriff’s Office providing county-wide coverage and the village contracting with the Sheriff’s Office within the village from 11pm-7am—is the one consultants spent the most time with and it’s the one that looks to be the most feasible.
It’s also the most expensive: $5,243,593, largely because it would boost deputies’ numbers for that around-the-clock coverage.
The county can’t act, said Carlisle Supervisor John Leavitt, until it knows where the village is going, “But it’s got to be some form of Option 2. We’re not going to go in and take over,” Option 4.
“I agree,” said Sheriff Ron Stevens. We have to know what your plans are.”
Cobleskill Mayor Becky Stanton-Terk said she can’t make that decision alone—if they were to go as far as dissolving the CPD, that would be up to the voters, she said.
“But my gut, Option 2 would be most palpable to village residents,” she said. “Taking the temperature of residents,” Option 3—24/7 Sheriff’s coverage, no CPD, and a contract with the county for enhanced services—“isn’t plausible.”
Even if it was, said Supervisors Chair Bill Federice, it would cost the county more “so why do it?”
“I’d think that you’d want 24/7 coverage,” answered Mayor Stanton-Terk.
They would get it with Option 2, but would the rest of county taxpayers be behind it?
Yes, he thinks so, for 24/7 coverage, Mr. Leavitt said.
Undersheriff Bruce Baker agreed.
“With no Cobleskill Police Department, our patrols are afraid to go too far out into the outskirts. It would mean the difference between someone on say, Bear Ladder road seeing a patrol twice a week as opposed to twice a month.”
Mayor Stanton-Terk said she wants a second public presentation by Laberge before making a final decision, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
“We don’t want to drag our feet,” she said.
The Board of Supervisors would also have to approve the deal.
Option 2 would mean a Cobleskill PD of nine officers, including a chief and lieutenant investigator, at a net cost of $1.25 million annually to the village with a $203,757 payment to the Sheriff’s Office for the enhanced coverage.
It would require boosting deputies’ numbers from 20 up to 28; total law enforcement costs in the Sheriff’s Office would be $4 million.