Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne, together with Sue Ellen Holmes, supervisor of the Milton Meadows condominium complicated (positioned on 42 Auburn Highway), met with the Lansing City Council on March 17 to carry a Q&A with residents on public questions of safety locally.

The choice to host such a session was made primarily based on the current incident that concerned two automobiles chasing and taking pictures at each other earlier than crashing on Auburn Highway on March 13.

There have been quite a lot of ideas and considerations shared by members of the general public on the assembly. Native resident Jessica MacDonald requested as a result of the sheriff’s division has a restricted quantity of deputies patrolling the county at a given time – Osborne stated there are three or 4 deputies per shift patrolling the county (27 in complete) – if it could be price exploring the institution of a city police drive.

“Given the present tips below the reimagining public security that additionally applies to the county, not simply Ithaca Police Division as many prefer to say, we’re going to see our deputies stretch too skinny,” MacDonald stated. “We want our personal officers who’re capable of do precise group policing.”

Nevertheless, Osborne stated the city shouldn’t look into creating its personal police division since it could trigger a rise in taxes.

“In the case of taxes, clearly a village, per say, has their very own police drive, they’re going to have their very own village tax,” Osborne stated. “We don’t have that within the City of Lansing. In fact, we pay city taxes, however it could be arduous for us to say you’re going to create a police division particularly for Lansing and your taxes aren’t going to go up.”

City Supervisor Ed LaVigne stated there will likely be conversations sooner or later about options to this concern, one being the opportunity of hiring extra deputies. For now, LaVigne stated he’s seeking to see what the sheriff’s division can do within the instant future to enhance the protection of residents.

“There’s some gentle on the finish of the tunnel. This gained’t proceed indefinitely,” LaVigne stated. “Are there some dangerous characters, sure there are. However there’s dangerous characters in every single place. … Within the meantime, I solely ask Sheriff Osborne for slightly bit extra course, which is able to match into a special dialog, that what can our residents do to be diligent [moving] ahead. Proper now, every part is on edge, and we’ve got to be extraordinarily cautious.”

Milton Meadows is one space locally that has skilled excessive ranges of prison exercise as of currently involving residents of the flats and/or company or people who’re residing in one of many flats, however should not signed onto the lease. Nevertheless, as a result of the courts are nonetheless closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holmes stated she is unable to file eviction papers for people who’ve been concerned in such exercise.

That stated, she nonetheless takes duty for the kind of habits and actions which have taken place on the condominium facility, saying she refuses to make use of the pandemic as an excuse for not with the ability to resolve such conditions.

A few Lansing residents who stay close to Milton Meadows, or have a member of the family or buddy residing within the facility, spoke on the assembly final Wednesday, sharing situations of illegal habits. One group member, Colleen, stated she has witnessed people from the complicated trespass on her property and a number of verbal and bodily disputes both on the finish of her driveway or in entrance of her home.

“For me, I believe that was very near residence, and I used to be scared,” Colleen stated when recalling one of many bodily altercations that befell on her property. “I used to be actually, actually scared, sheriff.”

Robin Adams, a Lansing resident and daughter of Colleen, stated she has witnessed drug dealing on the condominium facility and skilled an unsettling confrontation with one resident of the ability outdoors of the complicated. (Adams recalled an occasion at Lansing Market the place a resident of Milton Meadows was asking individuals outdoors for cash. Folks on the market had been asking the individual to go away, however the person continued. She stated the person confronted her whereas she was in her automotive.)

LaVigne talked about that Milton Meadows will likely be putting in safety cameras on the facility, which Osborne stated can be a good suggestion.

“Cameras, for one, present a stage of assurance for the residents,” Osborne stated. “Folks are likely to not act up as a lot after they know they’re being seen on digital camera, and it additionally offers us with priceless proof if issues do go dangerous.”

One individual, Bryan Morse, requested Holmes whether or not or not she thinks crime in Lansing has elevated for the reason that Milton Meadows flats had been constructed, to which Holmes stated that could be a chance.

“I’m going to exit on a limb and simply inform you due to the very fact there are 72 households residing in a smaller space, I’m sure that it most likely contributes,” Holmes stated. “However you also needs to know that throughout New York State … home disputes and calls have elevated by 30 % throughout New York State, and the calls that we’re receiving, the problems that we’re having, [are] primarily home in nature.”

Councilpersons additionally clarified that despite the fact that Milton Meadows has been reporting a considerable amount of prison exercise, it’s not the one condominium complicated locally experiencing the identical sort of points. The truth is, Osborne said that Milton Meadows had no involvement with the current gunfight and finally automotive crash that befell slightly greater than every week in the past.

“This incident was a really uncommon incident – little question – and that’s what makes it so scary,” he stated. “However I don’t need to paint the image that now everyone seems to be in peril in Lansing due to it. It was a really uncommon incident. … We’ll proceed to work and hopefully issues like that gained’t occur once more.”