Village of Middleburgh officials are looking to start a neighborhood watch for next year.
A retired policeman is interested in serving as a constable on a voluntary basis, but village officials were advised by their attorney that having a neighborhood watch would be preferable.
A constable, who would carry a gun, would greatly increase the village's liability, attorney Joanne Darcy Crum told board members earlier this month.
Mang Insurance representative Dayton King gave the village an overview of what would be required if the village added a constable.
The village, according to Mr. King, would have to have written policies and procedures, have to do a background check on any potential constable, come up with a training requirement, create a committee to oversee training, and a community committee to oversee the police department, determine the extend of force an officer can use, and decide if the officer would carry a firearm. Village officials expected the constable to carry a firearm.
The village's insurance would increase if the officer carried a gun, he added.
He told board members that he would check on workers' compensation about coverage, but had concerns about possible injuries on the job.
Though the officer would be a volunteer, there are still risks, Mr. King said. The village would not have a lot of control over that person.
The village was interested in having a constable for about 10 hours a week, with patrols centered around events and random patrols during the summer, Mayor Matthew Avitabile told board members.
The liability issue surrounding a constable is very important, Ms. Crum said.
A neighborhood watch, which would be independent of the village, would add no extra liability, it was noted.
The person who is interested in becoming the constable could be head of the neighborhood watch.
Mayor Avitabile asked board members to consider a neighborhood watch and be ready to discuss it again at the December board meeting.
Several people in the village have mentioned a neighborhood watch or other coverage since a man was stabbed in the buttocks during an altercation on Main Street in October.