For Information Contact:

Brian Adey
 798-5800

     Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today announced in partnership with the Oneida County Law Enforcement Coalition, he will begin a major effort to examine the potential for consolidations of services among public safety agencies to improve protection and reduce costs.

Pictured on the left is Kirkland Police Chief Dan English, Oneida County Executive Joseph Griffo and on the right is New Hartford Police Chief Ray Philo

      The true dedication of our law enforcement officers is shown by their willingness to take a hard look at changes and work together as a team, to develop a new system of police protection that will build on our region s reputation for being a safe place to raise a family, said Griffo, who praised Law Enforcement Coalition Chair Dan English, Chief of the Kirkland Police Department, for working in partnership with his project. I have been saying for two years that high-cost areas such as public safety must be examined, and this is our opportunity to do that.

     Griffo said he will work with the Law Enforcement Coalition, the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce, whose Government Consolidation/Shared Services Task Group he co-chairs with Elis DeLia, and District Attorney Michael Arcuri, who has started a dialogue with police agencies in Whitestown. Griffo said he will convene a meeting of local chief elected officials from Oneida County s towns, villages and cities to secure final commitments to participate in the project. At that meeting, he said, he will ask community officials to appoint a steering committee that will study all aspects of law enforcement consolidation and prepare a plan of action that can be brought before the public in 2006.

     First we start with what we have and what we need in the way of services. Then we follow logic to minimize costs, and create the structure we need even if it does not fit any current model, Griffo said.

     Griffo said he expects there will be several sub-committees created because not all communities are at the same level of background work on consolidation. The Whitestown effort that is being coordinated by the District Attorney is building on months of discussions among the potential partners, Griffo said. I would expect that Whitestown effort will continue to lead the pace and provide a model for other communities to follow.

     New Hartford Police Chief Raymond Philo, representing the Law Enforcement Coalition said that the potential for reducing costs and increasing safety make this a time when a new approach to consolidation should be studied.

     Costs of operating a police agency are increasing faster and faster. Technology has great capabilities, but expensive technology is beyond the reach of many small communities, Philo said. The future is going to demand that law enforcement agencies become more sophisticated, more diverse in terms of the services they provide, and more technologically proficient to keep up with the information age generation of criminals. We need the right structure to work as a team, and this is an excellent opportunity to look at new ideas.

     Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce President Matt Stubley welcomed the project. The Chamber is a major advocate of consolidation to reduce costs while maintaining vital services, he said. Every department now has to pay the costs of overhead for accounting, financial matters, auditing, insurance, data management and all the other costs of doing business. A consolidated agency can get a better price for those services than a collection of small ones.

     Griffo said the Law Enforcement Coalition s input will be important to develop the shape of consolidation ideas. Oneida County is very fortunate that we have so many dedicated men and women who want to protect the public, said Griffo, who noted that law enforcement agencies already cooperate through a number of task forces. The last 10 years have been a time when informal, operating partnerships have increased. I want to take this to the next level.

     Griffo also noted that regional law enforcement efforts could help all of the region s highly dedicated law enforcement personnel access better training not all communities can afford today, develop career paths without having the change departments, and increase opportunities to become involved in specialized investigations.

     A major goal of any project that involves law enforcement is to provide public safety coverage that is equal to or better than what the people are receiving now, Griffo said, noting that public dialogue will be a key part of his plans.