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City of Mount Vernon, NY
Westchester County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (27) Index Notes (1)
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the City of Mount Vernon 9-9-1981, approved 9-28-1981. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Appearance tickets — See Ch. 7.
Personnel policies — See Ch. 50.
Dogs — See Ch. 116.
Noise — See Ch. 178.
Parks and playgrounds — See Ch. 186.
Peace and good order — See Ch. 191.
Vehicles and traffic — See Ch. 256.
The City's regular police personnel, properly addressing themselves to crime prevention and detection, are unable to enforce a number of the City's General Ordinances relating to littering, noise control, adequate patrolling of the City's parks, playgrounds and recreational areas to deter vandalism and other illegal activities therein and in traffic and crowd control in emergencies. This enforcement gap has led to pollution of the City's environment and waste and deterioration of municipal property, to the discomfort and disquiet of our City's citizens.
This chapter intends to supplement, by special police volunteers, our police surveillance of City property.
The Mayor of the City of Mount Vernon shall appoint those qualified men and women volunteering to act as special police.
A volunteer special policeman shall be a resident of the City of Mount Vernon, at least 21 years old, have a high school diploma or its equivalent and be free of any criminal convictions.
The special police shall come under the supervision of the Police Commissioner, who shall promulgate rules and regulations relating to their conduct and duties consistent with this chapter.
Special police shall be provided with distinctive uniforms and badges provided to them by the City of Mount Vernon.
[Amended 9-8-1982 by L.L. No. 4-1982, approved 9-23-1982]
A. 
The special police will not be police officers or peace officers. They will be empowered to issue appearance tickets for violation of those ordinances that they are authorized to enforce. They may, when necessity requires, make citizens' arrests pursuant to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law relating to arrests made by those who are neither police or peace officers.
B. 
The following are the areas in which the special police are authorized to perform their duties:
(1) 
Patrol the City's parks, playgrounds and recreational areas and the City's highways and streets to prevent vandalism and deter illegal activities, such as drinking of alcoholic beverages thereon, gambling, drug abuse and disorderly conduct.
(2) 
Enforce the City's Antilitter Ordinance and those ordinances relating to the leashing of dogs and to dog defecation in public areas.
(3) 
Aid in traffic and crowd control.
(4) 
Enforce the Antinoise Ordinance.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 178, Noise.
C. 
The above areas of authority may be enlarged or modified by local law.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Former § 225-8, Defense and indemnification; insurance, which immediately followed this section, was superseded by L.L. No. 4-1982, which local law also redesignated §§ 225-9 and 225-10 as §§ 225-8 and 225-9.
[Amended 9-8-1982 by L.L. No. 4-1982, approved 9-23-1982]
Every appointed volunteer special policeman shall be instructed in the interpretation of the general ordinances he or she is assigned to enforce.
[Amended 9-8-1982 by L.L. No. 4-1982, approved 9-23-1982]
The City shall provide the special police with adequate meeting rooms to be used by the members of the special police.