I wanted to express my support for the Copake Police Department. As a member of the Copake Fire Company I have come to know the men and women of the CPD and they are an asset to the community no matter the cost. I cannot speak for the Fire Company directly, but I will share some of my personal views. While I was out with the FD on numerous calls during the tropical storms of August, I did not see any State Police or Sheriff vehicles, as I am quite sure that they were very busy and inundated with calls. The CPD made it a point to stop by on scenes to check in with us. During the recent snow emergency, it was the CPD standing in the snow storm helping me isolate a hazardous area from onlookers. They have even notified the FD of the best route into a scene. There was even a time when the FD was responding to a call and Copake Rescue had their ambulance on another call. We received an “Echo call” for a cardiac arrest and the truck I was on was diverted to the cardiac call which was moments from our location at the time. When we arrived the CPD was on scene and we worked together to provide CPR and AED assistance to the victim. True, there is a Sheriff substation in Hillsdale but their patrol area is much larger than Copake. There may be times that the Sheriff and State Police are tied up on a call and will not be available to answer a call from a Copake resident. From what I have read in the papers, both the Sheriff’s Department and the State Police support having the CPD.
I also hope that the on Election Day there is adequate instructions on the CPD resolution. It seems counter-intuitive for a resident to have to vote NO on a ballot to save the CPD. In short my feeling is that the resolution to dissolve the CPD is both short sighted and puts the well-being of the citizens of Copake in jeopardy. This is one of the main responsibilities of our elected officials and by considering this they have failed the citizens they have been entrusted to serve.
Michael LaForge
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