Rye police officers can now live outside Westchester County after the City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday, Aug. 12, to amend the city's residency rules, according to the Rye Record. Officials say the change will widen the department's recruiting pool.
The public hearing drew no speakers. No council member raised an objection before the vote.
Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy requested the amendment, which creates a new chapter in Rye's city code governing where officers must reside. Previously, the city had no local residency provision; officers were subject only to New York State law, which limits municipal employees to the county of employment or an adjoining county.
"The practical effect is relatively limited, but it does bring Rye into alignment with most of the other Westchester municipalities," City Manager Brian Shea said at the Aug. 12 meeting.
The new law means Rye can recruit from Dutchess County and other neighboring counties beyond Westchester. City officials said the expanded geography should increase the number of qualified applicants at a time when police departments across the region compete for candidates.
Corporation Counsel Kristen Wilson laid out the legal framework at the council's July 15 meeting, noting that Rye previously had no code chapter addressing officer residency. The amendment aligns Rye with Rye Brook, Harrison, Bedford, Briarcliff Manor, Mount Pleasant, Ossining, Tarrytown and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, all of which already allow officers to live in adjoining counties.
The council first discussed the proposal publicly on July 15, when Wilson and Shea presented the rationale for broadening the hiring pool beyond state minimums.
What's ahead
- Rye Brook trustees took up flood grants and a school program at their Aug. 11 meeting.
