St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary M. Pasqua  has sent a letter to the Mayor of Ogdensburg, requesting that the City refrain from eliminating first responder positions to include police officers, firefighters, and emergency dispatchers.

“First responders are vital to maintaining the safety and well-being of our community, especially during these unprecedented times.” Further, DA Pasqua expressed his concern that “as we phase towards opening up, we will continue to face the reality of sweeping new laws that require these agencies to engage in unprecedented time-consuming obligations. The demands of those laws are difficult to comply with; I am concerned that eliminating these positions will place a further burden on law enforcement that could harm our efforts to pursue justice," Pasqua said.

Meanwhile the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Deputies Union have also asked city council to reconsider the cuts.

"Residents of the City of Ogdensburg,

We write to you during these unprecedented times concerning the proposed budget cuts that are soon to impact your City. Over the last 5 years the seriousness in crimes have increased in the City of Ogdensburg. The amount of drug arrests and meth labs have increased significantly with St. Lawrence county having the most methamphetamine (meth) labs in New York State in 2019. There have been homicides, robberies, and countless other violent crimes in the City and throughout the County that the men and women of the Ogdensburg City Police Department have been instrumental in conducting investigations and making arrests. The current Department is already working short with one open position, and two officers out on injury, one of which is sick from exposure to meth labs.

"By cutting four more positions in the Police Department, and an additional four positions in the Fire Department it would be crippling to not only the safety of the officers, but the safety of the citizens of Ogdensburg as well. Response times to complaints will lengthen, investigations will take longer, crime rates will increase dramatically, and overtime costs will increase significantly. We realize the financial and economic devastation our communities are currently enduring, and to say that these are difficult times for all is an understatement. It is without doubt that decreasing the amount of public safety officials in your city will not be beneficial.

"The most important objective for Police and Fire Departments is to ensure the safety of its citizens. More position cuts will cause a devastatingly negative impact on the community partnership and safety for all. The St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies Union works closely with members of the Ogdensburg Police and Fire Departments, and stands in solidarity with them. We ask that you seriously reconsider the budget cuts looking to negatively impact your community. Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this matter.
Sincerely,"
St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies Union
Leighton Filiatrault - President

The letter from the district attorney follows:

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