Cortlandt Introduces Specialized Traffic Safety Officer

CORTLANDT, NY — The town of Cortlandt introduced its newest community police officer who will be overseeing traffic safety.

At a news conference in town hall Wednesday, Supervisor Richard Becker and other county and local officials gathered to let the community know that Westchester County Police Department Community Resource Officer Alberto Ramos would be the specialized traffic safety officer at the Cortlandt Precinct.

Ramos would be helping to enhance safety and the quality of life in the town through public education, targeted enforcement and collaboration with officials and community organizations.

The priorities of the traffic safety officer will be established with input from the town supervisor, town officials, neighborhood and business organizations and other stakeholders in the community.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said during the news conference that this was the perfect example of government working together.

“What we have in the county Department of Public Safety are well-trained police officials,” he said. “We’ve made it possible to provide direct policing assistance and Cortlandt has taken us up on it.”

Ramos is a seven-year law enforcement veteran who began his career with the Mount Vernon Police Department. He transferred to the County Police in 2020 and has been assigned to parkway patrol, the Mount Kisco precinct and the motorcycle unit, Acting Public Safety Commission Terrance Raynor said.

He said the demands of responding to emergencies can sometimes limit the time officers have available to proactively address issues of impaired and distracted driving.

Officers such as Ramos being assigned to a community “will enable us to increase enforcement, education and outreach,” Raynor said, adding that the model has worked well in other communities like Mount Kisco.

In addition to the patrol officers assigned to the Cortlandt Precinct, Westchester County Police officers serve as School Resource Officers in a number of schools in the town. The Lakeland School District contracts for three SROs and the Hendrick Hudson School District for two.

Information on contacting Ramos and Community Resource Officer Deopaul Mahadeo can be found on the town of Cortlandt website.