Yorktown Police Certified for Grants Eligibility

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services certified that the Yorktown Police Department meets use-of-force standards in order to receive discretionary federal grants.

In a February 4 letter, the state office informed that the Yorktown Police Department complies with the Presidential Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities issued on June 16, 2020. Therefore, the Yorktown Police will continue to receive the discretionary grants for the next three years.

“Our residents should be proud of the quality policing that our department provides,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “As many residents learned during a recent series of public meetings about the Yorktown Police, our department is very restrained and judicious in its use of force.”

Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble noted that there have been few uses of force against people in the past four and a half years.

“Since January 1, 2016 through June 1, 2020, we documented 293 use-of-force incidents, with 180 of them involving the dispatching of animals in suffering,” said Chief Noble. “Only 12 use-of-force incidents caused minor documented injuries. During the same period, the Yorktown Police Department made over 1,500 arrests and physically subdued multiple people in crisis during non-arrest calls for service. Members of the Yorktown Police Department continue their commitment to de-escalation and non-escalation policing when it is safe to do so.”

A copy of the state’s letter is attached below.