John Costanzo, Chief of Police

The Tuckahoe Police Department is comprised of 25 sworn officers, 3 fulltime civilian employees and 5 part-time civilian employees. The Department has earned a distinguished reputation by maintaining a commitment to the highest standards of the law enforcement profession. Although the department is considered a small sized agency, it provides a wide-range of police services to the community. It is at the forefront of technology, training and best policing practices. In an on-going process to evaluate and improve performance and services; the Department is a New York State Law Enforcement Accredited Agency. We are guided by our Mission Statement: "To protect the quality of life in our community in partnership with those we serve."

Patrol Division
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Raffaele Stabile

The most visible and largest section of the police department is the Patrol Division. It is considered the backbone of the department. The primary focus of the patrol division is the protection of life and property and to enforce the law in a fair and impartial manner consistent with the values of a free and open society. Uniformed Patrol Officers are the most visible and have the most contacts with the community. They provide the Village with a full range of police activities that our citizens have come to rely on. They are the first responders to calls of service that run the gamut from a barking dog to an armed encounter. The most inconsequential and routine activity can develop into a potentially hazardous and volatile situation in a split second.

Over the course of a week, an officer may have assisted in lost and recovered property, a woman screaming, disoriented or missing persons, fights in progress, domestic disputes, noise complaints, traffic accidents, suspicious persons, burglar alarms and medical aided cases. Officers are trained and equipped to provide optimum emergency aid as first responders to all medical emergencies. When patrol officers are not answering calls, they conduct proactive patrols, looking for suspicious activities, hazardous conditions and opportunities to positively interact with our citizens. They must also deal with traffic related issues such as the enforcement of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, issue parking violations, traffic safety education and insight into traffic engineering. The Patrol Division’s community policing philosophy of partnership and teamwork with our citizens has helped in maintaining a high quality of life in our village.

Detective Division
Commanding Officer: Detective Lieutenant Kevin Ferry

The Detective Division of the Tuckahoe Police Department is charged with the responsibility of investigating all criminal activities, internal investigations, and the records management of the entire police department. The following are some types of criminal investigations conducted by our detectives:

• Crimes Against Persons:
  homicides, robberies, assaults, sex crimes, and missing persons.
• Crimes Against Property:
  burglaries, frauds, thefts, arsons and computer crimes.
• Crime Scene:
  obtaining all physical evidence linking suspects to crimes.
• Evidence:
  responsible for the custodial care of all evidence gathered and property recovered.
• Vice and Intelligence:
  narcotic, gambling prostitution and terrorism.

The Detective Division is the liaison to the District Attorney’s Office and the courts. Another important function is crime analysis, which is accomplished by working closely with local, county state and federal law enforcement agencies to recognize and forecast crime trends.

Program

The acronym D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It is a nation wide curriculum taught in elementary, middle school and high school by certified police officers. The D.A.R.E. program has key elements to successful prevention teaching such as:

• Helps students recognize internal pressures, like anxiety and stress, and external pressures, like peer attitudes and advertising
• Develops personal, social and refusal skills to resist these pressures
• Teaches that using drugs, alcohol and tobacco are not normal among teenagers, even if students say that "everyone is doing it."
• Provides developmentally appropriate material and activities about the consequences of drugs.
• Uses interactive teaching techniques
• Actively involves the family and community

D.A.R.E. is part of an overall comprehensive effort, and is consistent with the best approach to reduce drugs and violence among our youth.

Youth Officers

The Youth Officers are specially trained officers who serve the interests of the youth and the community. They implement programs to prevent and control delinquent, criminal or anti-social behavior by youths. Through intervention, they attempt to divert juveniles away from the Criminal Justice System by referrals to other social service agencies.

The Youth Officers maintain a close working relationship with the schools that provides a forum for the officers to partner with students, parents and faculty to enhance the safety and welfare of our young people.

Bicycle Patrol

The Bike Patrol Unit is a voluntary, part-time unit whose officers successfully completed a grueling police bike certification course. Bike officers are more accessible to the public while being highly mobile. They have the "stealth" advantage to ride into a crime scene unnoticed. The bike patrols are very effective for special events where their maneuverability and speed are assets in areas of high volumes of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The Unit complements the department's community policing efforts.

Emergency Response Unit

The Emergency Response Unit is a highly trained and skilled tactical team to support the department during critical incidents. Members of this elite unit are volunteers who undergo a demanding selective process and must meet ongoing physical performance standards. The team trains rigorously on a regular basis and members attend tactical courses offered by the National Tactical Officers Association, the F.B.I. and other local, state and federal agencies.

The unit trains and operates jointly with the Eastchester Police Department’s E.R.U. This joint team operates as a single entity utilizing special weapons, tactics and equipment. The unit has been very successful in safely resolving critical incidents and executing high risk warrants in both the town and village.

Child Safety Seat Unit

The Department has specially trained Child Safety Restraint Technicians who are available by appointment to inspect, install and provide instruction on proper child safety restraint seats. These officers, in cooperation with the Eastchester Police Department and the Bronxville Police Department conduct Safety Seat Events during the year. Information about upcoming events could be found on the website, local access cable and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website (http://www.nhtsa.gov).

Animal Control

The Department has members who are certified Animal Control Officers trained deal with nuisance wildlife, domestic animals, dog licensing, vicious animals and other animal complaints that are a risk to public safety.

B.E.S.T.A.D.E. Task Force

B.E.S.T.A.D.E. is as acronym for the Bronxville, Eastchester, Scarsdale, Tuckahoe Alcohol and Drug Enforcement Task Force. This is a multi-jurisdictional Task Force comprised of police officers from the Town of Eastchester, and the Villages of Bronxville, Scarsdale and Tuckahoe is focused on the battle against illegal drugs and underage drinking enforcement. This Task Force is a comprehensive initiative designed to optimally utilize the collective efforts of all four local department, employing officers on a full-time and part-time basis.