Ogdensburg city manager clarifies police consolidation proposal

Sydney Schaefer, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·6 min read

Feb. 26—OGDENSBURG — The proposed consolidation of city police officers with St. Lawrence County and state-level law enforcement seems to have put people on edge about the city's efforts to share services with the county.

But City Manager Stephen P. Jellie has only proposed that the consolidation of forces be studied to figure out what the most cost-effective model would be. There is no definitive plan to replace city police with other county law enforcement.

In a report from 7 News on Tuesday night, the TV station asserted Mr. Jellie said he was "floating the idea" of replacing city police officers with county sheriff's deputies.

The report did not indicate further comment from Mr. Jellie about replacing city police officers with sheriff's deputies, but states he's considering downsizing the police force and relying on the sheriff's office for investigations into bigger crimes.

"My interview (Tuesday with 7 News) was intended to provide community awareness to the significant activities the City of Ogdensburg would like to study and analyze for the most efficient means of providing service with St. Lawrence County," Mr. Jellie said in an email Wednesday afternoon.

When it comes to possibly replacing city police officers with sheriff's deputies, Mr. Jellie said Thursday that he's open to presenting "any and all courses of action" to City Council, but only if it saves city taxpayers money.

Mr. Jellie's plan for police consolidation — one part of a multi-pronged plan to share services with the county — calls for the sheriff's department and state police to take the lead when it comes to policing inside the city. Local law enforcement should be the "final support layer," Mr. Jellie's plan states, indicating the city police force won't be abolished, but rather downsized if implemented.

"If we can get equal or better police protection for our residents, what does it matter what uniform they're wearing?" Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly said Thursday of policing efforts in the city.

City Police Chief Robert H. Wescott said Wednesday he was informed by Mr. Jellie earlier in the day that the 7 News story was only a "small part of a larger conversation" about shared services between the city and the county. He said he was also told all city departments are being looked at for shared services.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Brooks J. Bigwarfe issued a statement Wednesday asserting no one in city government has approached him or anyone in his department to discuss or gain input on the possibility of the sheriff's office taking on law enforcement duties to replace city police.

Sheriff Bigwarfe said it would take "tremendous resources" to "fill the void" of not having a city police force that's specifically focused on issues inherent to a close-knit population.

He said Thursday that the sheriff's department is focused on other municipalities outside the city as the county is so large — the biggest in New York state at 2,821 square miles. If sheriff's deputies are needed, they will assist the city police force.

Mr. Jellie said the county sheriff's department, as well as state police, don't patrol inside city limits as much as they do in other parts of the county. This is because the city has its own police force.

St. Lawrence County Undersheriff Sean P. O'Brien said Thursday that the sheriff's office has jurisdiction inside the city, but the responsibility of responding to calls inside the city limits falls to the city police force.

"That's their job," he said.

He added that the sheriff's office has a good relationship with city police.

"The Ogdensburg Police Department is an integral part of our law enforcement community and plays an important role in the County's Drug Task Force and in combating the County's increasingly dangerous issues of the drug epidemic and violent crimes that are being committed," the sheriff said in his statement Wednesday. "If we can't maintain a sufficient public safety workforce, not only do communities suffer but the overall safety of its citizens are at risk."

Mr. Jellie explained that when someone pays New York state income tax, that money in part is used to fund the state police. When someone pays St. Lawrence County property taxes, that money is also in part used to fund the county sheriff's department, and when someone pays city property taxes, about 29% goes to the city police force, according to the city's 2021 adopted budget.

This year, the county has allocated $10,936,801 of its $50,400,490 budget to the sheriff's department. The department has 30 full-time employees and three part-time employees, not including the sheriff or undersheriff.

Of those 30 full-time employees, 21 are sheriff's deputies who do road patrol, two are sheriff's deputies in the civil division, three are detectives, one is a detective sergeant and four are sergeants. The department's three part-time employees are sheriff's deputies as well.

The city police department employs 23 police officers, 10 fewer than the sheriff's office.

Of the city's $19,915,707 budget for 2021, 27.93%, or about $4 million, is allocated for the police department, which is more than any other city department. That's followed by the fire department with 22.28%, or about $3 million of the budget, and public works with about 19.38%, or $2.7 million of the city budget.

It's unclear how much the proposed consolidation of law enforcement would save the city if implemented.

Mr. Jellie said it's "unfortunate" the sheriff felt blindsided by the proposed plan because he's been in talks with County Administrator Ruth A. Doyle and county Legislator Joseph R. Lightfoot, R-Ogdensburg, who is also the former chairman, since October of last year about all consolidation efforts, including the consolidation of law enforcement efforts.

An email shared with the Times on Thursday night confirmed that Mr. Jellie first approached Ms. Doyle about consolidation efforts on Sept. 25 of last year, an email she never responded to. The email mentioned, among other shared service efforts, the possible consolidation of city and county law enforcement.

"I would like to discuss with you the potential to migrate as many city services to the county as possible. Consolidate, without actually consolidating," Mr. Jellie wrote on Sept. 25.

He sent a follow-up email to Ms. Doyle on Thursday evening.

Ms. Doyle did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Mr. Lightfoot said Thursday he doesn't recall specifically having any in-depth conversations about the issue with Mr. Jellie or other city officials. Mr. Lightfoot further said it's possible the topic could have come up when he spoke with city officials last year about the city collecting its own sales tax but said that wasn't what the conversation was about.

He said it's his belief that if officials met to talk specifically about sales tax, "we shouldn't be discussing other things."

Mr. Jellie further asserted that all city departments need to be looked at for consolidation.

"You can insert any word you want in place of law enforcement," he said Thursday. "We need to look at every department and figure out does someone need to not be doing that."

Recommended Stories

  • Trailblazing beauty inventions and innovations made possible by people of color

    As we close out Black History Month, it's paramount to highlight and celebrate significant contributions made by African Americans across all categories. One area that hasn't always been illuminated in textbooks is the number of revolutionary beauty inventions, innovations and businesses from people of color. Personal care, grooming and beauty are big business markets and statistics continue to show how willing consumers of color are to buy products that fit their specific needs.

  • Inspiring Home Decor Trends That Will Be Big in 2021

    Earthy color palettes, multipurpose rooms, and more.From Redbook

  • Czech parliament backs new pandemic powers as government seeks tighter lockdown

    The Czech lower house on Friday approved a bill giving the Health Ministry new powers without needing a state of emergency order, as the government laid out plans to "radically" tighten lockdown measures amid a renewed spread of COVID-19 infections. The so-called pandemic bill was supported by almost all parties in parliament and gives the Health Ministry the right to issue bans and orders, like closing shops or services, with the cabinet's consent. Under previous laws, the government had that right only under a state of emergency, which needs lawmakers' consent to run beyond 30 days.

  • Letters to the Editor: These readers felt something would go wrong Jan. 6. Why didn't Capitol police?

    Readers who say they were worried about violence in Washington before Jan. 6 wonder why Capitol police were so unprepared.

  • The nation needs Biden’s immigration-reform plan, but the stench of Trumpism lingers | Opinion

    There’s nothing like the images of packed rickety rafts at sea and unaccompanied minors flocking to the border to torpedo President Joe Biden’s push to pass immigration reform.

  • Prince Harry Tells Friend James Corden He Left the Royal Family Because It Was Destroying His Mental Health

    KOEN VAN WEELPrince Harry has said that he stepped back from royal duties because the British press was “toxic” and “destroying” his mental health.In an extraordinary interview unparalleled in the annals of royal history, Harry gave a candid interview to his close friend James Corden on The Late Late Show while they toured Los Angeles on an open-air double-decker bus. Corden was a guest at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018 and arrived at the evening reception dressed as Henry VIII. Another guest at the wedding, Oprah Winfrey, has taped an interview primarily with Meghan that will be screened next weekend.Oprah Winfrey’s Interview With Meghan Markle and Harry Will ‘Shine a Light on What They Have Been Through’The two men were served afternoon tea, which Corden said he had provided to remind Harry of home, however the tea service was abandoned after the bus braked sharply, depositing the contents of a tea trolley on top of the prince.“Clear it up, Harry,” Corden joked as the prince picked up tea cups and scones.While the 17-minute long package had a humorous tone and was packed with jokes and gags, it also provided the most candid insight yet into why Harry withdrew from royal duties.Asked about his decision to leave royal life, Harry said he was left with no choice because the British press “was destroying my mental health.”He said of the “toxic” situation: “I did what any husband and father would do—I need to get my family out of here.”In what will be perceived as a dig at the royal establishment that refused to accept Harry and Meghan’s proposal of a hybrid public-private role, Harry said: “We never walked away, and as far as I’m concerned, what decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away.”Royal Family ‘Wringing Their Hands’ at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ActivismHarry said that his life now would continue to be about “public service” and added that he and Meghan were “trying to bring some compassion and try to make people happy and try to change the world in any small way we can.”When Harry said he and Meghan often watched Jeopardy! and Netflix (with whom the couple recently signed a $100 million production deal) in the evenings after putting Archie to bed, Corden asked him about The Crown and its controversial portrayal of his family’s history.Harry, who joked he would like to be played in the series by Damian Lewis, said he preferred it to the tabloid media coverage of the royals because it “does not pretend to be news.”He added: “It’s fictional. But it’s loosely based on the truth.“Of course it’s not strictly accurate, but it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle—the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else—what can come from that.”He continued: “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife or myself, because it’s the difference between fiction—take it how you will—and being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”Harry also opened up about meeting Meghan and how he knew she was the one on their second date.“We hit it off with each other, and we were just so comfortable in each other’s company,” he said.“Dating me or any member of the royal family is kind of flipped upside down. All the dates become dinners or watching the TV or chatting at home.“We went from zero to 60 in the first two months.”Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, made a cameo in the interview via FaceTime when Harry and Corden paid a trip to the house from the ’90s TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.When Corden suggested the couple should buy the house, Meghan said: “I think we’ve done enough moving.”During the visit to the house, Corden and Harry spoke to the owner and jokingly made an offer to buy it, before Harry asked if he could use the toilet.“I’m actually dying for a pee. Can I use your bathroom?” he asked.Showing that family relations are at least still somewhat functional, Harry said his grandmother, the queen, bought his son Archie a waffle maker for Christmas.He revealed Meghan now makes waffles with a “beautiful organic mix” and they eat them for breakfast with toppings including berries and syrup.He also said that both his grandparents know how to use Zoom, but joked that his grandfather slams the laptop shut physically to finish a call.Over to you, Oprah.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • IS bride loses bid to return to UK to fight for citizenship

    A woman who ran away from London as a teenager to join the Islamic State group lost her bid Friday to return to the U.K. to fight for the restoration of her citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds. Shamima Begum was one of three east London schoolgirls who traveled to Syria in 2015. Begum's lawyers appealed,, saying her right to a fair hearing was harmed by the obstacles of pursuing her case from the camp.

  • Stocks fall, bond rout sparks profit taking

    Central banks in Asia struggled to smother a selloff in global bonds on Friday (February 26), piling pressure on their bigger peers to do more.That spooked investors who sold assets to cover deepening losses.And rushed out of crowded positions in stocks.European stocks fell on Friday (February 26) as investors booked profits in high-flying technology shares.Concerns are growing over rising inflation and interest rates on the back of a jump in bond yields.The benchmark European stock index was down over 1%.And on track to record its first weekly fall this month.While London's FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX also slipped.Earlier, Asian markets had seen even bigger declines. Japan's Nikkei index shed almost 4%. Euro zone government bonds did at least stabilise.But Germany's benchmark yield was still headed for its biggest monthly jump since 2016.Assurances from European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde and other policymakers failed to stem the rise in yields.Technology stocks bore the brunt of this week's sell-off after powering the global stock market recovery last year.

  • 'Op Silent Viper': How an Indian rape suspect was caught after 22 years

    The case went cold after the man disappeared following a brutal 1999 gang rape in India.

  • Britain sets out blueprint to keep fintech 'crown' after Brexit

    Brexit, COVID-19 and overseas competition are challenging fintech's future in Britain and the country should act to stay competitive, a government-backed review said on Friday. Britain's departure from the European Union has cut the fintech industry's access to the world's biggest single market, making the UK less attractive for fintechs wanting to expand cross-border. The review headed by Ron Kalifa, former CEO of payments fintech Worldpay, sets out a "strategy and delivery model" that includes a new billion pound start-up fund and fast-tracking work visas for hiring the best talent globally.

  • Journalist Tim O'Brien, who's seen Trump's taxes, thinks Trump's accountant will now flip in D.A. inquiry

    Bloomberg's Tim O'Brien, one of the few journalists who has seen former President Donald Trump's tax returns, told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday night he will sleep better now that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance finally has eight years of Trump's financial documents, from 2011 to 2019. Trump "is very afraid of what's in these documents, I think," because they put him in serious criminal jeopardy, O'Brien said, but he isn't the only one implicated. O'Brien went on to explain why he thinks it's likely Trump's chief accountant, Allen Weisselberg, will flip on Trump. "The thing to really focus in on here is that it's not just the tax records that Cy Vance has now," O'Brien said. "He probably has reams and reams of the accountant's work product. This is a criminal case, they're going to need to prove criminal intent on the part of Trump, his three eldest children, Allen Weisselberg, and anyone else in the Trump Organization who's fallen under the parameters of this investigation. And if there are email and notes and other records of communication about what they intended to do when they inflated the value of buildings so they could get loans against them and then turned around and deflated the value of the buildings so they could pay lower taxes on them, and there's a communication around that that predates any of these tax entries, that is gold for a prosecutor." A few hours earlier, O'Brien told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace that the particular eight years of documents Vance's team has "is important, because it predates Trump's ascent into the White House, and I think helps build the narrative around the money trail and Trump's motivations for his destructive and obscene dance with people like Vladimir Putin. It's a shame they couldn't go back further — think this is one of the tragic misses of Robert Mueller's investigation, he could have gone back further, I think, than Cy Vance is able to into Trump's finances." O'Brien also underscored that the investigation implicates at least Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, and "it also targets people inside the Trump Organization who might flip on Trump if they're exposed to criminal liability," but "the brass ring in all of this is that if Trump has a criminal conviction, he cannot run for president again, and that's looming over this entire thing as well." More stories from theweek.comDemocrats should take the Romney-Cotton proposal seriouslyHusband of Hitler-quoting GOP congresswoman parked his militia-stickered truck outside Capitol Jan. 6The MyPillow guy might be Trump's ultimate chump

  • Ryan Fitzpatrick eyes new team. And a leading candidate to back up Tua Tagovailoa

    You know the scenario by now: Tua Tagovailoa is the Miami Dolphins starter but what if Deshaun Watson gets traded and what if Russell Wilson gets traded and what if...

  • ‘Welcome Insurrectionists’ sign to be flown over CPAC by protester

    ‘Grim Reaper’ lawyer is fundraising to remind Republicans about last month’s Capitol riots

  • Native American nominee's grilling raises questions on bias

    When Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso snapped at Deb Haaland during her confirmation hearing, many in Indian Country were incensed. The exchange, coupled with descriptions of the Interior secretary nominee as “radical” — by other white, male Republicans — left some feeling Haaland is being treated differently because she is a Native American woman. At Wednesday's hearing, Barrasso wanted assurance that Haaland would follow the law when it comes to imperiled species.

  • 2 US Navy warships in Mideast hit by coronavirus outbreaks

    Two U.S. Navy warships operating in the Mideast have been struck by coronavirus outbreaks, authorities said Friday, with both returning to port in Bahrain. A dozen troops aboard the USS San Diego, an amphibious transport dock, tested positive for COVID-19, said Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea also has “confirmed several cases of COVID-19," she said.

  • Three Percenter Truck at Capitol on Jan. 6 Belongs to Hitler-Quoting Rep’s Husband

    Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty/TwitterA pickup truck parked at the United States Capitol and bearing a Three Percenter militia sticker on the day of the Jan. 6 riot belongs to the husband of freshman U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, who approvingly quoted Adolf Hitler a day earlier.Researchers on Twitter first noticed the Ford pickup truck with the far-right militia’s decal parked on the Capitol grounds in footage posted to social media and taken by CBS News.The presence of a vehicle with a militia decal so close to the Capitol, inaccessible to normal vehicle traffic, raised questions about how it got there—and whether it belonged to any of the hundreds of suspects involved in the deadly riot.But in an email to The Daily Beast, Chris Miller, Rep. Miller’s husband and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, conceded the truck belonged to him even as he pleaded ignorance about the militia group.Mitch McConnell Says He’ll Support Trump in 2024 After Blaming Him for Capitol Riot“Army friend gave me decal. Thought it was a cool decal. Took it off because of negative pub,” Miller wrote in an email late Thursday. He says he “never was member” of the militia and “didn’t know anything about 3% till fake news started this fake story and read about them.” A request for comment to the office of U.S. Rep. Miller was not returned prior to publication.The link between the truck and Rep. Miller was first reported on Twitter on Thursday by the @capitolhunters account, which is organizing research about rioters seen in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot from a large community of volunteers reviewing thousands of hours of footage.The #Sedition3PTruck with government plates parked in a restricted zone from 1:02. #SeditionHunters #Sedition3PSource: https://t.co/DubmxJhjSZ pic.twitter.com/INCs6geEYg— Phoenix on Wheels (@phoenixonwheels) February 25, 2021 A pickup truck with the same make, model, color, and Illinois plate number as the one at the Capitol on Jan. 6 is also visible in a July 2020 photo carrying Mary Miller for Congress banners during a Fourth of July parade in Illinois. That same day, Rep. Miller’s Facebook page posted a picture of what appeared to be the same truck with the same Trump-Pence and Mary Miller for Congress banners attached to the same PVC pipe frame as she campaigned in the towns of Mattoon, Sullivan, Herrick, and Moweaqua.https://www.facebook.com/BaileyforIllinois/photos/888345101571058Previously, the Millers have proudly posted pictures of the same model of Ford pickup truck, often emblazoned with the same stickers—like “herd quitter” and Guns Save Life, a website affiliated with an Illinois-based gun rights group—as the truck at the Capitol bore on Jan. 6. In at least one case, before Chris Miller’s election to the State House in 2018, the truck in question had a different license plate.The couple have appeared with that truck at campaign events, sometimes with the vehicle plastered in pictures of their faces or “taxpayers lives matter” posters. The license plate of the vehicle at the Capitol on Jan. 6—registered to Illinois, but with a drawing of the state’s Capitol building—appears to be a design reserved for Illinois politicians, like Chris Miller, who took office in 2019.The Three Percenter decal may have been a relatively new addition to the car, as it was not visible in images from this summer.https://www.facebook.com/ChrisMillerForStateRep/photos/2438928539529305Elected last November, Mary Miller, a Republican, is perhaps best known for speaking at a “Moms for America” rally in front of the Capitol one day before the riot. “Hitler was right on one thing: whoever has the youth has the future," she told the crowd. She later apologized for the remarks and said “some are trying to intentionally twist my words to mean something antithetical to my beliefs.”Militia groups have garnered new attention from law enforcement given the number of members arrested and charged with riot-related crimes since Jan. 6. Robert Gieswein, an alleged rioter identified by The Daily Beast who’s visible in footage of the first rioters to break into the Capitol, "appears to be affiliated with the radical militia group known as the Three Percenters," according to an FBI affidavit filed in the court case against him.The group, which first formed in 2008, is part of a loose network of “anti-government extremists” who liken their crusade against the U.S. government to that of Revolutionary War-era patriots, according to the Anti Defamation League. Their name comes from the false claim that only 3 percent of U.S. colonists fought in that war.Ties between militia groups and Congress have also come under greater scrutiny after some lawmakers suggested their colleagues may have played a role in the riot. Rep. Steve Cohen pointedly claimed that U.S. Rep Lauren Boebert led a “large” tour through the Capitol shortly before the riot. Boebert said she gave no tours to anyone outside her family at the time and there is no evidence as yet that any of the rioters benefited from inside help.Boebert has, however, been criticized for her links to militia groups after she posed for a picture at a December 2019 gun rights rally where rally-goers flashed Three Percenter hand signs.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Jets spoil Dominique Ducharme’s debut as Montreal’s coach

    Kyle Connor scored twice and the Winnipeg Jets spoiled Dominique Ducharme's debut as Montreal's coach, rallying to beat the Canadiens 6-3 on Thursday night to open a two-game series. The Jets rallied after Montreal took a 2-0 lead into the second period.

  • Covid-19: Sri Lanka reverses 'anti-Muslim' cremation order

    Critics said the forced burial order was intended to target minorities and did not respect religions.

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene faces backlash after attacking congresswoman with transgender daughter

    Marjorie Taylor Greene drew backlash from lawmakers of both parties who said a video she posted was cruel toward transgender Americans.

  • Biden orders airstrikes against infrastructure used by 'Iranian-backed militant groups' in Syria

    The Department of Defense said the strikes were carried out at the president's direction following attacks on the US military in Iraq.