Grants peace officer status to uniformed court officers of the village of Dobbs Ferry in Westchester County

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Dobbs Ferry uniformed court officers gain limited peace officer status with defined powers, training requirements, and firearm licensing rules.

REFERRED TO CODES

Summary of Bill S.10106 (2025-2026) – New York

Purpose and intent

The bill amends the Criminal Procedure Law to grant peace officer status to uniformed court officers employed by the Village Court of the Village of Dobbs Ferry in Westchester County.

The change aims to formalize law enforcement powers for these village court officers while outlining limits and training requirements.

Key provisions and changes

Adds a new subdivision (88) to Section 2.10 of the Criminal Procedure Law.

Applies specifically to: employees of the village court of the Village of Dobbs Ferry who serve as uniformed court officers.
Allowed powers: these officers shall have only the powers listed in paragraphs (b), (h), and (i) of subdivision 1 of section 2.20 of the Criminal Procedure Law. (In general, these subparagraphs relate to typical peace officer authority such as making arrests, issuing citations, and other court-related enforcement powers; the bill confines authority to those specified categories.)
Firearm restriction: nothing in this subdivision authorizes such officers to carry, possess, repair, or dispose of a firearm unless they hold an appropriate license under Penal Law § 400.00.
Training requirement: if the employee is not already a police or peace officer under CPL § 1.20 or § 2.10, they must successfully complete the training required under CPL Article 2 (specifically, section 2.30) to obtain peace officer status.

Effective date: the act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

Targeted to: uniformed court officers employed by the Village Court of Dobbs Ferry, in Westchester County.

These officers would gain explicit peace officer status limited to enumerated powers, contingent on meeting training requirements if they are not already certified police/peace officers.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Legislative history indicates a standard process:

Introduced and referred to the Committee on Codes.
Passed the Senate and delivered to the Assembly on June 4, 2026.
Referred to Assembly Codes for consideration.

The bill includes immediate effectiveness upon enactment, subject to standard legislative finalization processes in the Assembly.

Practical implications and impact considerations

Clarifies and formalizes the authority of Dobbs Ferry village court officers, potentially improving courtroom security, order, and the enforcement of court-related rules within the village court.

The explicit firearm licensing provision ensures compliance with state gun laws, preventing unauthorized carrying by officers without the appropriate license.

Training provision ensures uniformed court officers who are not already certified peace officers would complete required training to perform peace officer functions lawfully.

The measure is narrowly targeted to one village court, so broader police reform or statewide power expansion is not implicated.

Note

This summary reflects the text and provisions as introduced, including the specific limitations and training requirements outlined in the bill.