Vestal Police Department

Around 7:10 PM tonight, Broome County Communications received a phone call from a subject claiming to have placed a bomb in the Vestal Walmart. Vestal officers were immediately dispatched to Walmart where they made contact with store management. Details of the call indicated that it was likely a hoax but as a precaution the decision was made to evacuate the building.... Bomb sniffing K9s from the Binghamton PD responded to assist and the building was searched and cleared. It is believed that no persons were in danger at any time during this incident however all precautions were taken. The Vestal Police detective division will continue to investigate this incident with the assistance of the FBI and other entities.

Please join us today as we honor and remember our colleague, New York State Trooper Christopher Skinner. Intentionally killed in the line of duty on this day seven years ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones.

Today we are wrapping up the 2021 Southern Tier Police Week with department vehicles and displays at the Town Square Mall in Vestal. Many local departments are set up with tables and vehicles with give-a-ways for kids. There are also police Motorcycles, Bicycles, K9’s, Drones, Robots and even an Airboat! There is a drive-up Child Safety Seat Inspection Site adjacent to the displays. ... Displays are scheduled until 4:00pm. Stop down and visit representatives from your local police agencies.

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and our friends at the Broome County Crime Victims Assistance Center are offering a "Protective Parenting" training tonight via Zoom. They will be discussing grooming; what it is, how it happens and what you can look out for.

A great gesture by the officers who worked on this project and made it happen. Thank you to the Vestal Police Benevolent Association for your efforts.

The Vestal Police are investigating a theft that occurred on Nov. 20, 2020 at Matthews Chevrolet located at 3733 Vestal Road in Vestal, NY. At around 4:10am two male suspects drove into the lot, exited their vehicle and committed the theft of a tailgate and other items from a vehicle for sale in the lot. They were driving a dark colored Sports Model Chevrolet or GMC 4-Door pickup truck with no tailgate. The vehicle had no front license plate and an unknown rear plate. (Photo...s attached) Anyone with information regarding this incident or who may have any information regarding the suspects is asked to please call the Vestal Police Detective Division at (607)754-2477.

The members of the Vestal Police Department would like to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day. It has a been an odd year, to say the least. We hope that through all the stress and anxiety that 2020 has brought upon us, you may be able to take some time to focus on the people and things that you are thankful for. We are thankful for your support and want you to know that we are here for you, our community and our citizens, 24 hours/day 365/days a year.... Happy Thanksgiving from the Vestal Police Department.

You may have seen our officers donning purple masks recently as we recognized Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. In an effort to do more, the Vestal Police Department is proud to announce that we have joined forces with RISE to improve our ability to serve the community and more specifically, the victims of domestic violence. RISE is the licensed, comprehensive domestic violence agency for Broome County; where a victim can receive any and all services they may need.... They provide all services at no cost to the victim, including a 24/7 hotline, shelter, advocacy, counseling, community education and legal services. We have partnered with RISE to begin a program that gives, both victims and our officers, 24/7 access to Domestic Violence Advocates. Advocacy is whatever a victim needs it to be. Sometimes it is just having someone to talk to who can provide support, education and safety planning. RISE can also assist victims with Family Offense Petitions and other Family Court matters, provide support and accompaniment through criminal and/or civil matters and advocate with landlords, employers, CPS, DSS, etc. Men, women and children are all able to utilize RISE services, including shelter. The shelter is able to do admissions 24 hours a day. The shelter has 7 bedrooms and each family or individual receives their own private bedroom and bathroom. The shelter is a safe, confidential location. All a victim needs to do is call, answer a few questions and they will coordinate how and when to pick them up and bring them in. They have contracts with local animal shelters, so they can also house pets safely while a victim is at the shelter. We thank the Advocates at RISE for their fine work in our community and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with them to provide even better services to our community. For more information visit http://rise-ny.org/

We recognize that quality training that is both current and applicable to the functions of the department will further our objective of making Vestal a safe place to live and visit, therefore we make every effort to provide our employees with the best training available. Each year our officers attend and participate in a variety of training programs and classes; ranging from our annual In-Service and Firearms training to more specialized training programs. Recent training opp...ortunities include such topics as Trauma Informed Interview Principles, Forensic Child Interviewing, Crisis Intervention, Child Abduction Response and Investigation, Evidence Collection and Processing, School Threat Assessment, Elder Abuse, Officer Survival Tactics, Responding to Active Shooters, FBI Media Training, Ethics and Professionalism, Advanced Issues in Forensic Interviewing and many others. The members of the Vestal Police Department also receive annual In-Service training. During this training, officers are presented with annual updates on Infectious Disease, Workplace Harassment Prevention, Legal Issues, First Aid and Use of Force issues as well as some more specialized topics. During the 2019 In-Service training, our officers received instruction on Crisis Intervention and De-escalation, Combating Sexual Harassment, Autism Awareness, Alzheimer’s/Dementia Awareness and Officer Wellness. The pandemic has limited the 2020 training options however we took this opportunity to focus on some very timely topics for our recent In-Service training. This year, in addition to continuing the De-escalation Techniques, Crisis Intervention and Officer Wellness training, our members received timely and important training in Implicit Bias, Procedural Justice, Police Legitimacy and Fair & Impartial Policing. We will continue to provide progressive and timely training to our members as we strive to provide the best service we can to our community.

Today, our friends in the Indian community are celebrating Diwali which is known as the festival of lights. The festival symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. We believe those are ideas that everyone can celebrate. Happy Diwali.

Please take a moment today to join us in honoring the brave and honorable men & women we call Veterans.

Today our thoughts are with the family and friends of Officer Lee Barta who was killed in the line of duty 25 years ago.

We wish you a safe and healthy Independence Day. Today our thoughts are also with the family, friends and coworkers of our colleague, Deputy Kevin Tarsia. Killed in the line of duty July 4, 2002.

The Vestal Police Department would like to thank the many people, businesses and organizations who have shown us their support in so many different ways over the last few months. Your personal greetings, messages, cards, letters, care packages, food and drink, etc. are too many to name but please know that all are recognized and appreciated by every member. We take pride in being a community-orientated police department and it is always nice to know when we are appreciated an...d that we are supported. We serve the ENTIRE community and will continue to do so through any crisis. In 1829, Sir Robert Peel established the London Metropolitan Police Force. He became known as the Father of Modern Policing, and his commissioners established a list of policing principles that remain as crucial and urgent today as they were two centuries ago. They contain three core ideas and nine principles. Principle #2 - To recognize always that the power of the police to fulfill their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behavior, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect. We know that we will not always make everyone happy, nor will we always be supported and as a result, we take nothing for granted. Our officers work every day to maintain the public’s trust and support. We welcome constructive criticism and encourage dialog as much as we welcome the show of appreciation and support. Thank you for your support as we continue to work with you and for you to make our community great.

Please keep the family and friends of New York State Trooper Christopher Skinner in your thoughts today. Intentionally struck and killed on this date 6 years ago.

Please take some moments of your day to remember those who sacrificed their lives so that we may be free.

Folks, there are bears here. This is not news. Please do everything you can to stay away from them and help to avoid attracting them. If you see one please DO NOT approach it. Just leave them be, they will move on. Keep food out of your backyard. This includes unsecured garbage, bird feeders and other food left outside for wildlife....Continue reading

Please take at least a moment of your day to think about the family, friends, loved ones and coworkers of officer David Smith Jr. who gave his life while protecting the citizens of Johnson City and Broome County 6 years ago today.

One of the many myths regarding rape victims is that they are frequently from one of the following categories; - young attractive females - females who dress provocatively - females in certain professions such as waitresses, etc.... These myths are just that, MYTHS. National crime statistics indicate that females of any age, style of dress and profession can be victims of rape. Beginning tonight, from 6-9pm, the Bundy Museum of History and Art, in partnership with the Crime Victims Assistance Center and 20:1 Prevention Programs at Binghamton University will present: What Were You Wearing?, a Survivor Art Installation. Inspired by Mary Simmerling's poem, What Was I Wearing, the exhibit presents rape survivor stories along with representations of the clothes they were wearing at the time of assault and is part of a global effort that seeks to dispel the myth that clothing is a cause of sexual violence. Members of the Vestal Police Department continuously receive evolving training in many areas, such as the investigation of sex crimes as well as training to understand victim trauma and the best practices for assisting victims of all crimes.The department is proud to have a representative on Broome County's Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). SART is a partnership of professionals supporting the rights and choices of survivors of sexual assault through their involvement with health, social and justice systems, while working to effectively prosecute and hold offenders accountable for their actions. We continue to strive to be a professional department and will always work hard for the rights of innocent victims. This traveling installation has been displayed at cites and college campuses since 2014. Tonight's Opening Reception - First Friday Event will kick-off Gallery 31's hosting of the exhibit that will remain on display through April 29 (Tuesday-Saturday 11-5pm). Please take some time to visit the Exhibit at 131 Main St. in Binghamton and do your part to help join the effort to dispel the myths of sexual assault.

We are proud to have partnered with The State University of New York's SUNY's Got Your Back program. SUNY’s Got Your Back provides the opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and community members from across the state to create comfort kits for victims and survivors of violence, and to learn methods of better preventing and responding to violence, as together we work to build a New York where these bags are no longer needed. Our hope is that we never have to distribute a s...ingle one but if we do, the Vestal Police have these comfort bags in stock and are ready to distribute to any victim of violence. Each comfort kit includes more than 12 personal care items such as toiletries & towel, notebook & pen, other self-care items and personal resources! https://www.suny.edu/gotyourback/