Yorktown Police Chief: Costco Will Have 'Unfavorable' Impact

The proposal for a 151,092-square-foot Costco retail store available to club members at 3200 Crompond Road, just west of the Taconic State Parkway, has drawn supporters and opponents of the development. 

Yorktown Police Chief Daniel McMahon has said the project would have an "unfavorable" impact in the level of police services and the cost of police service the police department provides. 

The police department, which was established in 1927 and serves 38,000 residents and businesses in the 40 square miles of Yorktown, is located about two and a half miles east of Costco's proposed site. 

In a letter, written about Costco earlier this year, Chief McMahon said the proposed Costco site would increase traffic on Crompond Road and create a need for traffic control equipment and dedicated manpower in the area between Strang Boulevard and Stony Street during weekends and shopping season. 

In addition, McMahon said he anticipates the project would cause an increase of 106 calls of service annually, which would in turn increase the need for manpower and/or overtime. The police department is staffed by 56 officers and 9 civilian personnel. 

Below is McMahon's letter (italics added for visual differentiation from the story):

Based on the type and size of the business we anticipate 106 calls of service annually from the proposed Costco site. This includes the retail business, the gas station and the parking lot. The proposed Costco site will also generate additional "quality of life" calls from the surrounding neighborhoods.

While the population of the town of Yorktown has increased significantly since 1981, the staffing of the Yorktown Police Department has been stagnant. An independent audit of the Yorktown Police Department in 1996 conducted by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) stated that the department was understaffed but the staffing situation has not changed since 1981. 

The proposed Costco will have an unfavorable impact on the policing of the entire town of Yorktown.

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