Scarsdale’s Finest

I’ve always been fascinated with law enforcement. And, it goes beyond my obsession with every Law and Order series, and my current favorite show, Unforgettable. I have a real appreciation and reverence for our men and women in blue. I’m talking about Scarsdale’s very own police force. Every week, I pay attention to our police blotter and see our officers out on the streets. However, that’s about all the interaction I typically have with Scarsdale’s finest.

Okay, I’m not taking into account the tickets I’ve received for talking on my cell phone or the one I received for not wearing my seatbelt. I know. Don’t say it. It was years ago, and I was slowly rolling through the village. I didn’t think. Trust me, I learned my lesson.

Anyway, I really wanted to know a different side to what we, civilians, see from afar. A more personal, behind-the-scenes view, if you will. So, after getting clearance from our Chief of Police, Chief Brogan, and our Lieutenant Altizio, who is the Commanding Officer of the Investigations and Support Services Sections, my “ride-along” dream became a reality.

Last Wednesday, February 29, 2012, I prepared for my adventure. Camera, check. Pens, check. Notepad, check. Print-out of the Scarsdale Police Department’s website information, double check.

Off I went. After signing some forms and deciding to bring the bulletproof vest along “just in-case,” I could hardly contain my excitement. I knew I was smiling from ear-to-ear, but still tried to maintain some level of professionalism. You know, channel my inner Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order SVU). Well, I doubt Olivia would have brought her camera along to take pictures of herself in front of a patrol car, but hey, I couldn’t resist.

My day began with a tour of the newly renovated station house. It’s gorgeous, yet still maintains some pieces of important historical value. For example, the holding cells are still original to the circa 1950 -1952 police station. Only the windows and stainless steel plumbing fixtures were upgraded.

Throughout Lieutenant Altizio’s guided tour, I was able to learn a lot about our police department. We have 42 officers on the force, and one officer at the Academy in training right now. Many of those officers come from the NYPD.

And, I bet you can’t guess what Scarsdale’s number one crime problem is to date. Nope, it’s not our current burglary situation, which happens to be on the decline. In 2011 we had a total of 18 burglaries, while 2010 experienced a total of 43. Our police force must be doing something right.

Anyway, back to the criminal activity, currently ranking number one in our town. It’s identity theft. I know. I was surprised too. Lieutenant Altizio said, “We see this a lot with ATM skimming. Devices are used to clone your ATM card, immediately after you use them.” So, be careful at the ATM machines people.

The Lieutenant also made me aware that Scarsdale, which spans a 7.5mile radius, has a higher visibility rate, on the road, during each shift, than other larger towns. “We average 4 to 6 cars on the road at any given time,” Lieutenant Altizio informed me.

As we finished up our tour and conversation, Officer Dinis Castro took over and had me accompany him on the last hour of his day shift. Officer Castro has been with Scarsdale for about a year and a half, and previously spent about two years with the NYPD in Times Square.

The first thing I noticed as I got into the passenger side was that there wasn’t that much leg-room on my side. Of course, when I took a look in the back, I saw that the “cage” was directly behind my seat. Immediately, I didn’t mind my leg space. I mean, clearly, it’s a whole lot better to be sitting upfront than in the back.

Next, I learned that every police vehicle comes equipped with a computer, where all calls come through, a shotgun, a rifle, first-aid equipment, an oxygen tank, and a life-hammer (which might be used if a child gets locked in a car, for instance). That’s a lot of stuff.

Our first call came over the radio. I thought to myself, here we go. We were responding to an “aided call,” which meant that somebody was in need of assistance. Do you like how I keep saying “we”? Never mind I wasn’t allowed to leave the vehicle, I still felt like “we” were responding.

I asked Officer Castro, “Are you going to put the siren on?”

“No. Only, if there’s traffic at an intersection, I’ll use it just to get people to move,” he answered.

I saw a little siren action. And, you know what? People did move right away.

We arrived on the scene in no time, and thankfully, everyone was okay. Once again, we were off to patrol the streets. While happily patrolling, I asked Officer Castro, “This is a big change from Times Square, so how do you feel being here?”

“I love Scarsdale. It’s a pleasure to come to work,” he immediately answered.

After responding to a house alarm call, Officer Castro got out to check the perimeter. When everything was “all clear” we headed back to the station, where I was to sit in on roll call. This is where Sgt. John Spagna was to assign the cars and posts for the evening shift, go over the daily notes and highlight anything that requires extra vigilance. Roll call did not disappoint.

I was very quiet, which, as you can imagine, is a rarity for me. Although, when Sgt. Spagna wanted to know if there were any questions, I couldn’t contain myself. I made a slight move to sort of raise my hand, and said, “What’s a wink?”

“Warrant inquiry,” he quickly replied.

I’d love to be able to use that in some cocktail party conversation. You know, something like, “I was reading about the latest suspect in a series of burglaries, and apparently there’s a wink on him.” How’s that for picking up some cool police lingo?

Roll call was over. I was then heading out with Officer Jessica Knatz for the first hour in her evening shift. Officer Knatz is one of three female officers on our force. We have two female patrol officers and one female detective.

She’s been with the Scarsdale Police Department for five years, and was with the 23rd Precinct in Spanish Harlem for four years prior to joining the SPD. We talked a lot about the differences between the two. I asked Officer Knatz what she thought was one of the main differences.

She pondered it for a moment and then offered, “A lot of us come from the city, so we view Scarsdale as a really nice place to work. And, it’s a very selective process here. Every officer has been hand selected to ensure a good fit. In a smaller town, especially a town like Scarsdale, you can be more selective, which is a good thing.”

We spoke about what it takes to be a police officer. “You’re working weekends. You’re not home during the holidays. You have to really want to do this job.”

And, that’s what really struck me the most as my “ride along” came to an end. Our police force is comprised of dedicated, experienced and truly nice men and women. There’s no doubt that we have the finest keeping us safe here in Scarsdale.

However, I wasn’t finished. There was just one more thing I had to find out. My Facebook community wanted to know the truth about cops and their donuts. So, I’m here to dispel the myth once and for all.

Apparently, the stereotype that police love to eat donuts is just “not true. It’s really a matter of personal preference,” according to Officer Castro. Officer Knatz agrees. She also added, “I’ll take a cookie over a donut any day. Coffee, on the other hand, we like, a lot.”

So, when you see our officers around town, offer a “thank you” for protecting us, and our children, and possibly a cup of coffee, just hold the donuts.

Contributor Sharon Lippmann, writes about her "so called suburban life," as a proud resident of Scarsdale, NY. She is a writer, blogger, mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and one sassy chick. She loves exploring the interesting, strange, perplexing, vexing, ridiculous and funny that life offers up frequently. Enjoying more of what she has to say about nothing, and, well, everything at mydailypill.com.