The Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees has until mid-March to decide whether to allow a public referendum on creating a police commissioner’s position to run the village Police Department.
A public hearing that began last September was closed at the board’s Jan. 13 meeting with no comment, and officials were given 60 days to vote on a resolution regarding the position. The next scheduled Board of Trustees meeting is on Feb. 10.
Discussions about creating the position began during the term of the village’s previous mayor, Martin Rutyna, with retired Westchester County Chief Inspector John Hodges acting as consultant. The decision about whether to move forward is now up to Mayor Marjorie Hsu and the current trustees.
The police commissioner would be appointed by the mayor subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, according to the proposed local law, and be responsible for the department’s day-to-day operations including hiring and firing staff, disciplinary measures and efficiency.
The Police Department is led by Chief Anthony Bueti and consists of 24 police officers and 10 part-time civilian employees, according to the village website. The department serves a population of about 10,500, according to census data.
A referendum would have to be scheduled by the Westchester County Board of Elections in order to get the question on the November ballot. Approval by residents would allow for village code to be amended to create the position.
