Sheriff Ken Lansing told the Lansing Town Board Wednesday that he wants to have more open communication with the town.  He invited the board to take advantage of expertise in his department, and to bring issues to him so the Sheriff's Department can be proactive in serving the community.

"I want every village and town board to know that when issues come up that you think needs to be addressed, or you need expertise from somebody in my department, we want to be asked to come to a board meeting to help you in any way we can," Lansing said.  "It's like putting a fire out before it gets started: it saves everybody a lot of extra work and a lot of trouble."

Councilman Ed LaVigne, who is also president of the Lansing Community Council lauded the Sheriff's Department for its work during the fireworks earlier this month.  The department worked closely with the Community Council to come up with and implement a traffic plan to minimize traffic issues after the event.  LaVigne also noted the department responded quickly when he brought them a speeding problem on Myers Road.


Lansing said he thinks the department can do better at next year 's fireworks, and committed to brainstorming again next year to improve on this year's plan.

"During the campaign I said I thought we could take big government and make it smaller and more personal so people feel they have a voice," Lansing said.  "Because they do, especially in the Sheriff's Department."

Lansing reached out to all the Tompkins County towns and villages his office serves, asking to be put on their agendas.  he said he was gratified by the quick respnse he received from them, saying his calendar will be full for the next month as he attends the board meetings.

"I think it's great that you're reaching out to the towns and villages like this," said Lansing Deputy Supervisor Robert Cree.

v8i28

< Prev		Next >