A.
The Public Safety Commissioner shall be appointed by the Mayor and
shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor. The appointment of the Public
Safety Commissioner shall be evidenced by a certificate in writing
signed by the Mayor and filed in the office of the City Clerk.
B.
The Public Safety Commissioner shall supervise the officers and members
of the Schenectady Police and Fire Departments.
C.
The Public Safety Commissioner shall have the authority to discipline
the officers and members of the Schenectady Police and Fire Departments.
D.
The Public Safety Commissioner shall see that all rules and regulations
of the Police and Fire Departments and all ordinances of the City
Council for regulating the powers and duties of the members of the
police force and Fire Department are carried out.
E.
The Public Safety Commissioner shall perform such other duties consistent
with the provisions of this article, as may be prescribed by law,
the ordinances of the City Council or as may be delegated to him by
the Mayor. (L. 1907, Ch. 756, § 123; L.L. No. 2-1986; L.L.
No. 1-1990, § 2; L.L. No. 3-2002)
The Chief of Police shall perform such duties consistent with
the provisions of this article, as may be prescribed by law, the ordinances
of the City Council or as may be delegated to him by the Public Safety
Commissioner. (L. 1907, Ch. 756, § 124; L.L. No. 1-1990,
§ 3; L.L. No. 3-2002)
The officers of the Schenectady Police Department shall perform
such duties consistent with the provisions of this article, the Ordinances
of the City Council or as may be prescribed by law. (L.L. No. 1-1990,
§ 4)
No fee or compensation, other than as authorized by this article,
shall be charged or received by any policeman or special policeman
for the arrest, confinement or discharge of any person, or for mileage,
or for serving any process or warrant, or for discharging any other
duty required by this article. But any reasonable or necessary expenses
incurred and actually paid by any policeman, when traveling in the
discharge of his duties as policeman, shall be paid by the Director
of Finance of the City of Schenectady, on the warrant of the Mayor;
and for any services performed by a policeman for or on behalf of
the County of Schenectady, or of any town therein, and for any expense
incurred therein by him in such service, the Mayor is authorized to
charge such service and expense to said county or town, as the case
may be, and the same shall be audited and allowed by the Board of
Representatives of said county against said county or town to and
for the benefit of the City of Schenectady, and the same shall be
levied and collected by tax as other county or town charges and shall
be paid to the Director of Finance of the City of Schenectady. (L.
1907, Ch. 756, § 123; L.L. No. 2-1986)
No member of the police force shall receive any present or reward
for service rendered or to be rendered unless with the approval of
the Mayor, upon application in writing; and any member who shall receive
any fee or reward in violation of this section shall be subject to
removal therefor. (L. 1907, Ch. 756, § 127; L.L. No. 2-1986)
The City Council shall provide and keep in order such station
houses, lockups and other necessary accommodations as shall be required
for the use of the police force or, upon agreement with the sheriff
of the County of Schenectady, may adopt the jail of said county as
a lockup, and the said sheriff is hereby empowered to make such agreement
during his continuance in office, and no longer. (L. 1907, Ch. 756,
§ 129)
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Secs. 130, 131, 134 and 135, which immediately
followed this section, relating to Assistant Chiefs of the Fire Department;
Superintendent of Fire Alarms; reports of the Fire Chief; and property
of the Fire Department, respectively, were omitted by L.L. No. 2-1986.
The fire limits of the City, as heretofore established by law
or by ordinance of the City Council, are hereby ratified and confirmed
and shall constitute the fire limits until changed as herein provided.
The City Council may from time to time by ordinance, adopted by a
two-thirds vote of all the members, modify the fire limits as so established.
No such ordinance shall take effect until it has been published in
the official newspaper of the City for at least one week. (L. 1907,
Ch. 756, § 137)
All buildings and structures within the established fire limits
of the City shall hereafter be built and constructed as now or hereafter
provided by the ordinance of the City Council. (L. 1907, Ch. 756,
§ 138)
Any owner, builder, occupant or other person offending against
any of the provisions of the last preceding section shall, for each
such violation, be subject to a penalty of $300, to be recovered in
an action brought in the name and for the benefit of the City of Schenectady
in any court of competent jurisdiction. If such action is brought
in the Supreme Court, any Justice thereof, or the County Judge of
Schenectady County, may grant a temporary injunction restraining such
owner, occupant, builder or other person from violating the provisions
of such section during the pendency of the action. The judgment in
such action may perpetually enjoin the defendant from constructing
the said building or structure so built or being built in violation
of the provisions of such section and may order the same to be removed
or taken down. (L. 1907, Ch. 756, § 139)[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Secs. 140, 141 and 142, which immediately
followed this section and which provided for Fire Marshals and City
liability for acts or omissions of fire personnel and exemptions for
firemen, respectively, were repealed 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 2-1986.
[Amended 6-2-1986 by L.L.
No. 2-1986]
Whenever any person shall refuse to obey any lawful order of
the Chief of the Fire Department, the Assistant Chiefs or Deputy Chiefs,
it shall be lawful for the officer giving such orders to arrest, or
direct a member of the police force to arrest, such person and confine
him; and in the same manner, such officers, or any of them, may arrest
or direct the arrest and confinement of any person at such fire who
shall be intoxicated or disorderly. (L. 1907, Ch. 756, § 143)
Whenever any building in said City shall be on fire, it shall
be lawful for the Chief of the Fire Department to order and direct
such building or any other building which he may deem hazardous and
likely to communicate fire to any other building or part of such building
to be pulled down and destroyed, and no action shall be maintained
against any person or against the City therefor. Any person interested
in any such building so destroyed or injured may, within three months
thereafter, apply to the City Council to assess the damages as so
sustained. At the expiration of the three months, if any such application
shall have been made, in writing, the City Council shall proceed to
ascertain the amount of such damages. Such amount, when so ascertained,
shall be paid in the same manner as other charges against the City.
(L. 1907, Ch. 756, § 144)[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Secs. 145, covering damage due to destruction,
and Secs. 190, 193 and 194, regarding the Department of Judiciary,
which immediately followed this section, were repealed 6-2-1986 by
L.L. No. 2-1986.
