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Parents press Mount Kisco board for daily officer at school dismissal after multiple safety reports
Summary
Parents and residents described incidents near Mount Kisco Elementary, urged one daily 30‑minute officer at dismissal and called for increased precision policing downtown; defenders of weekly rallies said protests are peaceful and patronize local businesses. The Board will raise the issue with county police.
Multiple parents and residents urged the Village Board on April 6 to secure a visible police presence at Mount Kisco Elementary dismissal time after several reported confrontations and repeated sightings of individuals provoking fear among children.
Valerie Stout described her son being approached by strangers on his walk home and said she now drives him to school because she rarely sees police on site. "I'm asking for 30 minutes a day, 30 minutes just at school dismissal to have an officer either on foot or in a car right there on Lexington Avenue between West Hyatt and Sarles," Stout said, arguing the daily, short presence would reassure students and parents.
Other residents, including Theresa Flora and Lou (Louis) Terlizzi, recounted observed drug sales and recurring individuals they said had open warrants near Lexington and Sarles and asked why patrols are not rotating to key downtown spots. Flora asked for "foot patrols in the downtown" and said she had reported a suspected sale in the presence of children.
Board members acknowledged the concerns. Trustee Thomas G. Luzio said the Board will raise the issue at the upcoming quarterly meeting with Westchester County Police and said the Board cannot guarantee daily coverage but will request patrol rotation and targeted enforcement. "I guarantee you, we'll be discussing it on Friday when we meet with them," Luzio said.
The meeting also featured vocal defense of weekly Saturday rallies by longtime participants, who said the gatherings are peaceful, bring regular retail spending to town and that mischaracterizations are unfair. Maryann Delaney, a regular attendee, asked the Board to "work together to keep it peaceful and positive" and said rally-goers are local volunteers who value the community.
What happens next: Board members said they will present residents’ safety concerns to the county police at the next quarterly meeting; no formal directive to allocate daily officers was adopted at the April 6 meeting.
