Town of Carmel Police Department

DEPARTMENT NEWS

GRANT AWARDED

The Town of Carmel Police Department applied for and was awarded a $25,000 grant from the NYS Division of Criminal Justice in state fiscal year 2010-2011.  The funding for the grant monies awarded to the Town of Carmel is from the Byrne JAG Equipment fund.  This competitive grant is utilized by the state to award various municipalities who display a need the ability to purchase necessary equipment for law enforcement purposes.  This grant will allow the Town of Carmel Police Department to purchase a fully equipped marked police vehicle for patrol duties.

NEW TYPE OF SCAM

Carmel Police has received complaints from residents who are being offered jobs via mail solicitations as "secret shoppers" from a company who identifies itself as TNS Global supposedly out of Raleigh, North Carolina.   The secret shopper is tasked with purchasing items from various stores and evaluating the store's employees.  The secret shopper applicant is mailed all sorts of official looking documents including a contractor's agreement and a code of conduct issued by the company.  They are promised a $180 fee for participating in each "secret shopper" exercise.  The applicant is asked to fill out all sorts of paperwork and fax the forms back to the company.  A few days later the applicant is mailed a check amounting to $3,800 and told to deposit it in their bank account.  They are asked to deposit the cashiers check in their bank account and to call back the company for further instructions.    One particular check was drawn on Frost Bank from San Antonio, Texas. 

The check is fraudulent, and most banks will stop payment and freeze the applicant's account.  The majority of checks take awhile to be officially cleared by the bank, but the applicants have access to the funds after two days.   The applicant believes that the check has cleared and calls back the company for further instructions.  The unsuspecting applicant calls the company back and is asked for the account number and routing number, so that, future checks from the company can be direct deposited in the applicant's account.  Instead the company electronically transfers all the money out of the applicant's account.

Year End Report 2010

The police department responded to a total of 23,847 calls for service for calendar year 2010.  There were 623 adult arrests made by department personnel last year.  Drug related arrests totaled 117.  The department issued 3,150 traffic summons and 701 of those were for speeding.   The department also made 32 arrests for Driving While Intoxicated or Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs.  Parking summons issued totaled 499 for the year.

Traffic accidents increased in 2010 to 958 of which there were 267 injuries and one fatality.  In 2009 the department handled 881 accidents with 238 reported injuries and three fatalities, and in 2008, the department handled 918 accidents with 260 reported injuries and three fatalities. 

The one fatality in 2010 involved an accident in which a vehicle struck a male pedestrian who was walking a dog on Union Valley Road.  The motorist was issued summons for inadequate brakes and obstructed view.
    

DRUG ARRESTS

Drug arrests increased to 117 for calendar year 2010, which is due to the reinstitution of the two officer Special Conditions Unit in May.  Previously the department made 76 drug arrests in 2009. The charges ranged from unlawful possession and sale of marijuana to possession and sale of controlled substances such as cocaine, heroin, and illegal possession of prescription drugs.  Some of these arrests were due to traffic stops, observation of drug activity by patrol officers, and suspects being arrested on other charges who were in possession of drugs. 

The Special Conditions Unit conducted investigations regarding drug sales and were able to arrest individuals for felony and misdemeanor drug sale cases as well as uncovering and arresting individuals involved in selling handguns.  The two officers assigned to the unit made a total of 137 arrests in 2010, and also assisted on another 66 arrests made by other officers.  Five vehicles utilized in drug sales were seized and it is estimated that the police department may receive $17,600 from the proceeds of the selling of the seized vehicles.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS

With the plummeting of the economy and job loss over the last two years, area residents have incurred additional stress in family units as well as in intimate relationships with individuals who are dating.  This has lead to a large increase in domestic violence cases.   In 2010 the department handled 562 domestic violence calls and 553 domestic violence calls in 2009, as compared to 383 in 2008. 

The Town of Carmel also experienced a murder involving domestic violence on 12/23/11, involving a husband who allegedly strangled and stabbed his wife.  The parties were estranged and the husband had a history of substance abuse.  The criminal case is till pending in the judicial process.  

The majority of crimes whether domestic violence; assaults; burglary; robbery; rape; harassment; and traffic accidents can be attributed to alcohol and other substance abuses.

GRANTS AND OUTSIDE FUNDING

The police department is constantly seeking outside funding sources to reduce the cost to the local taxpayer.  Sgt. Robert Behan was able to secure a $2,500 grant from the Sloper-Willen Foundation to purchase two new Automated External Defibrillators.  Lt. Brian Karst authored a grant to obtain a $8,120 digital body wire, which will be utilized in drug and other undercover investigations.  Lt. Michael Cazzari applied for and received BUNY ( BUCKLE UP NEW YORK) amounting to $12,400 and STEP (SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMNT PROGRAM) amounting to $14,900.  Sgt. Robert Behan also applied for and received $3,500 from Child Passenger Safety grant.

The department is about to implement a $145,000 grant obtained by former Congressman John Hall to purchase new computers and video cameras for 12 marked police cars.  The delay in implementing this grant was because the police department administration had to research several video systems and attempt to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each system.  Additional monies were secured from Putnam County STOP DWI Program to upgrade the police departments software in order to allow the officer in the field to do any type of inquiry, report, or search that would normally done only in the police station.