YORKVILLE, ONEIDA COUNTY -- One of the smallest police departments in Central New York is considering consolidation. The Village of Yorkville police force has 3 full-time and 7 part-time officers. Village officials say they are looking for ways to save, and may hand over duties to the Oneida County Sheriff's Department.
Tonight, people packed the Yorkville Firehouse to hear the Mayor and Oneida County Sheriff break down the details of a possible merger.
"I have two small children, I'd like to keep the local cops on. They know the streets, they know the residents," said Bill Almond who lives in Yorkville.
Neighbors handed over a petition, with hundreds of signatures, supporting the police department and asking the Village to keep it intact. "A local police department is what makes a village. It makes us feel safe. We chose to live here for that reason and raise our family," said Joshua Amodio who lives in Yorkville.
The village has been looking at police consolidation since 2009 and the mayor says it could save taxpayers $40,000 a year.
"It would save us a lot of liability, and cut costs," said Mayor Anthony Leone. "We need to maintain the services we are providing but we need to look at options to save money. In the long run this really is a no brainer."
Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol says the current full-time officers will be offered deputy positions. Which means neighbors may see the same officers patrolling their streets, only with a different uniform on.
"Public safety is our number one concern. If this proposal was to go through, we would assign a deputy 24/7 to the Village of Yorkville," said Sheriff Maciol. "On the face not a lot would change but the big picture they would get enhanced services at a lesser cost."
Mayor Leone says they will continue to look at consolidation over the next few months, taking input from tonight's meeting into account. It's not clear yet whether residents will vote on the issue in a referendum.
