New Port Chester Police Chief Richard Conway Proposes Police/Community Council

New Port Chester Police Chief Richard Conway, a 28-year veteran of the force, has seen a lot during his tenure with the department, and all that experience gives him some perspective on what can help the department continue to evolve. 

Two things that he hopes to implement involve outreach to the residents of the Village, he told Patch. He was appointed chief by the Board of Trustees earlier this week.

"I hope to initiate a police community council based on those presently in operation in the City of New York and Yonkers," said Conway. "I am also trying to get our Youth Police Initiative chartered by the Police Athletic League."

The influx of restaurants and entertainment venues in the Village presents certain challenges to law enforcement, he said, mainly the population surges that those establishments bring to the Downtown area. But the force has been up to that challenge, particularly in recent years.

The modest Conway, who declined a photo request for this story, only said he  became a lieutenant in 1999, but did not mention his role the dramatic 23 percent drop in violent crime in Port Chester between 2007 and 2012. Instead he praised the other members of the force.

"I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of the department over the past several years," said Conway. "That reduction was due to many factors, most notably the hard work of the men and women of the Department."