The Town of Highland, NY, is asking residents to weigh in on whether to re-establish its constable department, three years after the positions were suspended over misconduct and training concerns.
“There were some misconduct concerns with unnamed constables within that department, creating a poor atmosphere. Some of the constables didn’t have the required levels of training indicated in their personnel files that they should have had,” said Liam Mayo, news editor of The River Reporter.
Since 2022, the Town of Highland has relied on the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, paying for additional patrol coverage beyond the standard county service. Constables, by contrast, are local peace officers whose duties include patrolling roads, investigating low-level crimes, and making arrests for misdemeanors or certain felonies if authorized.
Town Supervisor John Pazzalotto said the referendum is non-binding but serves as a gauge of community support. “It’s kind of an indication on whether the citizens of the town want to have a constable service and can guide the town board in reestablishing it,” Mayo explained.
Supporters argue constables provide a “friendly neighborhood” presence. “There are a lot of issues that you need to call law enforcement over that are not necessarily like someone’s getting murdered, like traffic violations or just neighborhood disputes,” Mayo said. “The idea behind having constables is helpful for the person who responds to that call to be kind of a friendly face who knows the community and can kind of smooth things over, potentially better than a sheriff’s officer.”
At a recent town board meeting, Rochester Constable Rich Miller discussed potential costs and logistics. “He said that it doesn’t necessarily need to cost the Town of Highland a lot of money. There are grants available that could fund the process of reestablishing the constables department and make it so it doesn’t cost the town anything,” Mayo said.
Public sentiment appears positive so far. “The public in attendance [at the town board meeting] seemed positive to the idea. The sense I’ve gotten is that there is support for having constables in Highland,” Mayo said.
If voters approve the measure, the town would need to rebuild the department from scratch.
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Image Credit: Liam Mayo, The River Reporter