Designates uniformed court officers in the town of Ossining, county of Westchester as peace officers

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Pete Harckham

The bill would designate uniformed Ossining Town Court officers as peace officers, expanding their powers, training, and accountability to bolster court security.

REFERRED TO CODES

Summary of House/Senate Bill S 3441

Title: Designates uniformed court officers in the town of Ossining, county of Westchester as peace officers
Status: Referred to Codes
Introduced: January 27, 2025
Sponsor: Pete Harckham (primary)

Purpose and intent

The bill designates uniformed court officers working at the Town of Ossining Court in Westchester County as peace officers. This change typically signals an expansion of the officers’ authorized duties and powers, aligning them with other individuals recognized as peace officers under New York law.

By granting peace officer status, the bill aims to bolster security and enforcement capabilities within the Ossining town court setting.

Key provisions (as stated)

Designation: Uniformed court officers in the Town of Ossining are explicitly designated as peace officers.

Scope: The designation would apply to the uniformed court officers serving at Ossining Town Court. (Explicit text not provided here; the summary reflects the bill’s stated designation only.)

Related governance: The designation would subject the officers to applicable laws, rules, and standards that govern peace officers (e.g., training, conduct, accountability) as defined by existing statutes governing peace officer status. The bill text would specify any required training or certification if included.

Who is affected

Primary affected entity: Uniformed court officers employed by the Town of Ossining Court.

Secondary effects: The Ossining Town Court, the Town of Ossining (as the employing and operating body), and potentially public interactions at court facilities may be influenced by any changes in officer authority and responsibilities.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduced and referred to the Senate Codes Committee on January 27, 2025.

Status indicates the bill is currently with the Codes Committee for consideration, where it may be amended, debated, or advanced to floor action.

Related bills from prior sessions (S 5862, S 4473, S 4731, S 2991) suggest a pattern of prior attempts to confer peace officer status in similar contexts, which may inform debates and possible amendments.

Context and potential impact

If enacted, the designation could expand the security and law-enforcement powers available to Ossining Town Court officers, subject to state peace-officer laws and training requirements.

The change could affect training, certification, accountability, and daily operations within the Ossining court facility.

Financial implications (training costs, equipment, oversight) would typically be considered during committee review, though specific fiscal provisions are not provided in the available summary.

Note: This summary reflects the information available in the bill’s summary and introduced text. The exact language in the bill could specify scope, powers, limitations, training requirements, and fiscal considerations in greater detail.