Mid Hudson Times Oct. 04 2017 | Page 4

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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , October 4 , 2017

ShotSpotter shows early results

By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com

A month and a half after activation , police report the city ’ s new gunshot-detection system is already showing some positive results . “ It has reduced our response times ,” said City of Newburgh Police Lieutenant-in- Charge Aaron Weaver .

The ShotSpotter system uses sensors to map a threemile coverage area of the city . The system instantly notifies police of shooting activity with data and mapping to identify precise locations of gun shots .

The system alerts city police to gunfire locations in under 60 seconds , said Weaver , pinpointing gunshots to within about a 25-meter radius .

Notifications are instantly sent to police cars and smartphones . “ They can start heading in the direction of areas of the gunshots before communicating with dispatch ,” Weaver said . “ Anything that reduces our response time , the quicker we can get there , and the

DoD begins water sampling in New Windsor

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the air base has been the site of large releases of PFOScontaining fire foam due to fires , leaks and training drills .

The air base was declared a state Superfund site by the DEC in August last year .

However , the DoD has refused to accept test results from the state , instead insisting it perform its own sampling at the air base . In the meantime , Recreation

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Arriving quickly to the scene allows police to collect better evidence , the lieutenant said . “ It helps us identify witnesses ,” Weaver said . “ We have people at the crime scene we can interview . Whether the victim is cooperative or uncooperative , we at least have an area where we can locate the crime scene .”

However , Weaver stressed that city police continue to rely heavily on the public to notify police of shootings . “ It ’ s another one of the tools going into our tool bag ,” he said .

The leased system went live on August 10 . The technology was paid for with approximately $ 352,000 in Community Development Block Grant ( CDBG ) funds . The system will cost another $ 200,000 over the next 18 months .

According to ShotSpotter ’ s 2015 National Gunfire Index , cities using the system in the Northeast in 2015 saw a 27.1 percent decline in gunfire rates .

Pond , a storm-water retention pond located next to the air base , continues to spew PFOS-contaminated water into the city ’ s drinking watershed .

State samples from the pond last year showed it contained 5,900 parts per trillion of PFOS , almost 85 times the Environmental Protection Agency ’ s health advisory limit of 70 .)

Beaver Dam Lake , Silver Stream , and public and private wells in the towns of New Windsor and Newburgh were also found to be contaminated with PFOS . The state is in the process of assisting the towns to connect private wells to town water supplies .

New Windsor ’ s Kroll Well was shut down due to low levels of PFOS at the beginning of the year and remains closed . “ It ’ s about time ,” said New Windsor Town Supervisor George Green regarding the DoD testing on Monday .

To date , the DEC has spent almost $ 24 million on work related to the water crisis . The agency states it is “ contractually obligated to spend an additional $ 26 million ” to address PFOS contamination of the watershed .

“ While this is a big step forward to bring some relief to Newburgh , the DoD must thoroughly test and completely clean up the full PFOS mess they created in this community ,” Schumer said . “ And , further , the local communities must not be on the financial hook for this testing and remediation process .”

Last month , Schumer announced provisions to the National Defense Authorization Act , authorizing $ 20 million in funding to pay for the U . S . Air Force to remediate PFOS and PFOA contamination at the air base .

PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid ( PFOA ), both perfluorinated chemicals , have been linked to certain cancers , high cholesterol and fetal-development problems .

In Brief

Guilty plea in Quaker St . crash

Orange County District Attorney David M . Hoovler announced that on Monday October 2 , 2017 , James Black , 29 , of Kingston , pleaded guilty before Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown to Vehicular Manslaughter in the First Degree , in connection with the death of a 37 year old man who had been a passenger in Black ’ s pick-up truck on December 22 , 2016 .

At the time Black pleaded guilty , he admitted that he had been driving his pickup truck on Quaker Street in the Town of Newburgh , at approximately 1:46 p . m ., when the truck left the roadway and collided into a tree , killing his passenger . It is alleged that Black admitted speeding and being under

James Black the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision . The indictment alleged that his blood alcohol content was . 19 per centum by weight of alcohol . Black , who also suffered injuries in the collision , was not immediately arrested , and the collision was investigated by the Town of Newburgh Police Department and an Orange County Grand Jury .

Under the terms of the plea agreement placed upon the record at the time of Black ’ s guilty plea he faces up to three and one-third to ten years in state prison when he is sentenced on November 27 , 2017 .

Hoovler thanked the Town of Newburgh Police Department for their investigation of the case and Black ’ s apprehension .

This case is being prosecuted by Chief Trial Assistant District Attorney John Geidel .

Town Board meeting delayed by 24 hours

Andrew Zarutskie , Town Clerk , reminds all interested citizens that the public Town Board meeting for the month of October will be held one day later than usual .

The meeting , which usually takes place the second Monday in the month , will be held on Tuesday , October 10 , at 7 p . m . at Newburgh Town Hall , 1496 Route 300 .

Zarutskie said that the postponement was made necessary because Monday , October 9 is Columbus Day , a legal holiday in the United States . He said that October is the only month during the year 2017 in which it was necessary to move the date of a meeting .

The general public is always welcome to attend and participate in any meetings of the Town Board .