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Westchester public‑safety reports: fire department logs record month, police report nuisance‑crime uptick
Summary
Westchester’s fire chief reported a record 181 incidents in April and crews logged increased training hours; Police Chief Josh Lee reported higher nuisance and public‑drunkenness calls concentrated in the southeast neighborhood and described staffing, hiring, and crisis‑intervention training updates.
The Westchester Fire Department and Police Department delivered monthly reports to the borough’s Public Safety Committee showing heavy April activity and steps the agencies are taking in response.
Fire Chief Marc told the committee the fire department responded to 181 incidents in April, the highest single‑month total on record (previous high 170 during Hurricane Irma). He listed notable April responses including brush and house fires, said department members logged extensive training and support hours, and noted a fire under investigation by the Chester County Fire Marshal and Westchester University police.
Police Chief Josh Lee said the department handled roughly 3,140 calls in April and is investigating a pedestrian fatality that occurred on April 12. Lee reported nearly complete participation in county crisis‑intervention training for his officers and described progress hiring three police candidates for conditional offers to present at the upcoming work session.
Lee said nuisance crimes — particularly public‑drunkenness arrests and related offenses such as public indecency and vandalism — rose in April, concentrated in the southeast neighborhood and often occurring between midnight and 4 a.m. He explained that these arrests are resource intensive because officers must take custody, transport and guard arrestees, tying up staffing.
The chief said the department has increased foot and bike patrols in the southeast and central business district and offered to provide year‑over‑year visualizations at the committee’s request. Chair Brian Travis and residents urged additional analytics to clarify whether the apparent uptick represents a sustained trend.
"We're nearly 100% trained" in crisis intervention, Lee said, and asked the committee to continue working on staffing and data requests that could inform future policy choices.
The reports prompted discussion about patrol coverage, the timing of nuisance incidents, and the need to align enforcement tools with community expectations; the committee asked for more comparative monthly and year‑over‑year data at a future meeting.
