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Greenburgh SWAT team kept us safe during shooting incident

Ardsley Acres hotel shooting

paul feiner, Community ContributorVerified User Badge

GREENBURGH'S HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SWAT TEAM WAS ABLE TO RESPOND TO ARDSLEY ACRES HOTEL SHOOTING INCIDENT-AND KEEP US SAFE

Over the years some residents have asked why the town has a SWAT team. Greenburgh is one of the few communities in the region that funds this highly trained and specialized police unit. We have 30 officers in unincorporated Greenburgh and the villages that train regularly. Some members of the SWAT team are always working a shift in our police departments -and can respond to an emergency within minutes. The SWAT team members are familiar with the town and are very prepared to deal with emergency situations. And, they train nicely together. When former Chief John Kapica approached the Greenburgh Town Board in 2007 asking for the unit, all the Town Board members felt that this unit would help keep our residents safe. And, we supported the funding of the team.

On Monday night there was a serious incident at the Ardsley Acres hotel in the village of Ardsley. A suspect was barricaded in a room with a female. He opened the hotel room door and fired at our officers. A Greenburgh Sergeant was hit in the chest by gunfire -saved by the bulletproof vest. A Dobbs Ferry Sergeant was hit by a richochet in the leg. He also was released from the hospital-with no serious injuries. The officers returned gunfire and the suspect was struck- pronounced DOA at the medical center.

We will never know what would have happened if we did not have a SWAT team. But, I feel better knowing that we have the best trained and specialized team of police able to respond to an emergency within minutes if it occurs in our town. I look at the SWAT team as an insurance policy. We hope we will never need the services but it's great to have when there is a dangerous situation in the town. Am very proud of the police for always being prepared.

While the most recente incident may give people the perception that crime is up in Ardsley or in Greenburgh, that perception is incorrect. The Ardsley Police Department has addressed many issues at these hotels over the years and crime is significantly down. The Greenburgh Durg and Alcohol Task Force (which has an Ardsley Police Officer assigned) has done enforcement of the motels over the years as well. The number of incidents at the Ardsley Acres Hotel Court and Apple Motor Inn continues to drop. This weeks incident was very unusual and Ardsley and Greenburgh are safe communities.

Here's some info about our special operations unit from the Greenburgh Police department website.

The Special Operations Unit was established in August of 2007 by Chief Kapica in order to consolidate and enhance the oversight of the various specialized tactical and rescue units within the Greenburgh Police Department. These units include:

Special Weapons and Tactics Team (S.W.A.T.) - Comprised of Police Officers from the Town of Greenburgh and the Villages of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings, Irvington and Tarrytown.

In December of 2013, the Greenburgh Police S.W.A.T. team achieved New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services (Municipal Police Training Council) S.W.A.T. Team Accreditation. Greenburgh Police S.W.A.T. was the first multi-jurisdictional tactical team in the State of New York to achieve this compehensive standard. Additionally, Greenburgh Police S.W.A.T. conforms to the National Tactical Officers Association (N.T.O.A.) recommended training standards for collateral duty tactical teams.

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Technical Rescue Team - Comprised of Police Officers from the Town of Greenburgh Firefighters from the Fairview and Greenville Fire Departments.

K-9 Unit - Comprised of a Police Officer/handler and canine “Metro” from the Town of Greenburgh.

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Crisis Negotiations Team - Crisis Negotiations Team is a team of highly trained police officers who utilize several different techniques to communicate with persons involved in various types of emergencies.

Mobile Command Center Unit - Comprised of Police Officers from the Town of Greenburgh.


C.E.R.T. - C.ommunity E.mergency R.esponse T.eam, comprised of trained civilians trough the town of Greenburgh.

Officers in each of these units are required to undergo a rigorous selection process before assignment to a specific team. Each Officer must attend monthly training in addition to courses sponsored outside of the department. All training is coordinated through the Special Operations Unit Commanding Officer.

The Special Operations Unit Commanding Officer serves as liaison to the various police departments providing personnel to these units, and to the numerous emergency response agencies within and outside of the Town of Greenburgh.


PAUL FEINER

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