Westchester public safety meeting: police report on attempted stabbing, mental‑health staffing, ambulance funding proposal and crosswalk study

Westchester Borough’s public safety committee met for about 39 minutes on an April evening to hear routine monthly reports from the fire and police departments and to discuss several ongoing safety and service items, including a proposed municipal advisory board for Goodfellowship Ambulance Company, a traffic‑safety study at Bradford Avenue and West Gay Street, and four special‑event applications for the summer and fall.

The most newsworthy item was a police briefing on an attempted stabbing that led prosecutors to upgrade charges to attempted homicide and on an increase in mental‑health related calls in March. Westchester Police Chief Josh Lee described the March 21 incident as follows: “that suspect attempted to stab a relative of his in a common area of this apartment complex,” and said officers arrested the suspect after a struggle; no officer injuries were reported. Lee said investigators reviewed video that supported upgrading the charges after consultation with the district attorney. He said there was “no serious injury” to the victim.

Chief Lee also reported a rise in calls classified as mental‑health related, saying the department recorded about 20 such calls in March, up from “7 or 8” the previous month. The borough is hiring a social worker to coordinate crisis responses; Lee said the social worker’s start date is set for “mid to late in May” and that he will provide a bio at the next meeting. The department is also advancing two officer candidates through civil‑service interviews and expects to present names to the mayor for hire in June. Lee said roughly 130 people initially applied for the open position, about half advanced and 26 remained for oral exams.

On department equipment and community support, Lee…