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Valentines for Seniors ‘Proactive’ policing By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
Greater Liverpool Chamber of Commerce
Through the Valentines for Seniors program, over 1,200 valentines were distributed this year to Meals on Wheels of Onondaga East, North Syracuse and Baldwinsville, Silver Fox Adult Day Care, Parkrose, Elderwood, Hearth at Greenpoint, Brookdale Facilities, Peace @ Home in Manlius and Aging Advocates.
At their Feb. 10 meeting of the Village Board of Trustees, Liverpool Police Chief Jerry Unger presented the trustees with statistics for 2024 showing that his department dealt with nearly twice the number of incidents handled in the previous year. In 2023 officers answered 5,491 calls for service or incidents, but in 2024 they answered 8,221 such calls. In 2023 they averaged 15.1 calls per day, while in 2024 that rose to 22.5 calls per day. LPD Sgt. Dave Sturtz presented the annual statistics filling in for Unger who was sidelined by the flu. “Those calls for service stats show a pattern,” Sturtz observed. Likewise, the number of traffic stops has more than doubled. Officers pulled over 1,112 vehicles in 2023 and 2,772 in 2024. The number of arrests made in 2023 was 271, which also increased significantly to 479 in 2024. Only driving while intoxicated arrests declined last year, from 28 in 2023 to 11 in 2024. For the past several years Unger has been slowly but surely building a battalion of effective officers. Staff shortages have threatened police agencies locally and nationally. “But the board [of trustees] approved our request to add two more full-time slots,” Unger said. “So now we’ve got six full-time road patrol officers. We’re proactive right now.” The LPD recently installed ELSAG license plate readers on two more patrol vehicles. “So now we have three patrol cars with plate readers,” Sturtz told the trustees. “They’re in full use by all of our guys.” ELSAG is a leader in law enforcement and communications technologies. Its Leonardo company is based in Brewster, N.Y. and Greensboro, N.C.
More trucks ticketed
Unger reported via memo that his officers made 354 traffic stops and issued 382 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws in the month of January. Officers stopped 18 tractor trailers in the village last month, and issued 17 local law traffic tickets for being overweight. Eight accidents were investigated here in January. Officers made 38 residential checks and 325 business checks last month, while responding to a total of 1,022 incidents and calls for service, an average of 32.9 calls per day. The LPD arrested 101 individuals last month on 127 criminal charges.
Over five years ago an idea came to light with Liverpool Rotary and the Liverpool Chamber, starting a program Valentines for Seniors. Each year the community gathers in churches, businesses, daycare settings and schools to make valentines for seniors. This year over 1,200 valentines were distributed to Meals on Wheels of Onondaga East, North Syracuse and Baldwinsville, Silver Fox Adult Day Care, Parkrose, Elderwood, Hearth at Greenpoint, Brookdale Facilities, Peace @ Home in Manlius and Aging Advocates. Most valentines were homemade or designed and printed by area businesses. Among the contributors to the program were MinuteMan Press, Touching Hearts at home, Coldwell Banker, Forge Gone Conclusions, Faith Heritage, Faith Lutheran Cicero, Empower Federal Credit Union, Hope for Heather, Velocity and Floor Coverings International.
LPD 2025
The Liverpool Police Department’s newest full-time officer, Matt Jones, was sworn in by Mayor Stacy Finney. Jones joins four other full-time officers now handling road patrol duties here, Taylor Zinter, Morgan Baumler, Joe Ottaviano and Robert Llamas. Unger and Sgt. Sturtz also work full time. Two part-timers, Officer Dana Vinch and Sgt. Sean Edwards, complete the current lineup. Another officer, Trenton Stillman, will graduate next month from the CNY Police Academy. And the new police clerk is September Giacchi, daughter of Brenda Giacchi who retired as police clerk last year.
Liverpool CSD to host community forum for superintendent search
The Liverpool Central School District has kicked off its search for a new superintendent in partnership with consultants from Hazard, Young, Attea & Association (HYA). As part of the search process, HYA has been conducting extensive community engagement through in person and virtual stakeholder groups, interviews
and surveys to understand the community’s desires for their next leader. That information will be used to help direct the board during its search and interview efforts and help ensure the board’s decisions align with the priorities identified by the district’s many stakeholders. Community members are invited to meet with the consul-
tants from HYA during a Community Forum on Feb. 26, from 6 to 7 p.m., in the district office board room at 195 Blackberry Road. If you are unable to attend the Community Forum, you can participate in an online stakeholder survey. The board of education is asking students, staff, families and the community to complete the survey, which is designed to
gather perceptions of the school district and the importance of various characteristics found in effective superintendents. The survey is conducted by a search firm, which ensures that individual responses are kept anonymous and confidential. To participate, visit the Liverpool Central School District Superintendent Search Survey Web
site at survey2.ecragroup.com/index.php/714214?lang=en. The survey will be open until Feb. 21. If you have any questions, e-mail the board of education (schoolboard@liverpool.k12. ny.us) or District Clerk Gail Massett (GMassett@liverpool. k12.ny.us).
Volume 132, Number 8 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206.
history: A brief history of Luther Memorial Church.
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sports: C-NS girls hoops draws even with Liverpool.
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death notices ����������� 5 Editorial ��������������������� 4 history ������������������������ 2 letters ������������������������ 5
Obituaries ������������������ 5 PennySaver ���������������� 6 Sports ����������������������� 11