[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Seneca Falls 10-1-2013 by L.L. No. 3-2014. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Defense and indemnification — See Ch. 24.
There shall be created a fund, in an amount to be determined by the Supervisor and the Town Board, which shall be called the "Police Investigation Fund." The amount appropriated therefor shall be consigned to the custody of the Chief of Police to be handled by him or her pursuant to the following guidelines.
A. 
The Chief of Police shall secure the funds transferred to him or her for the purposes of police investigation in whatever manner he or she may determine, including but not limited to a separate, special checking account or in cash, presuming the fund in such form is secure against loss, theft or destruction.
B. 
Upon determining the method of custody he or she intends to utilize, the Chief of Police shall so advise the Town Supervisor, and such method or combination of methods shall be adhered to without exception, unless circumstances and experience indicate the advisability of changing the method, which change should promptly be instituted, with appropriate notice to the Town Clerk.
A. 
Any police officer having reasonable grounds to believe moneys from the Police Investigation Fund would materially assist in obtaining of information or evidence in a current crime investigation may apply for such funds to the Chief of Police, stating fully his or her belief in the need he or she perceives.
B. 
The Chief of Police, prior to releasing any moneys, shall personally review the reasonableness of the request and, if his or her response to the same is in the affirmative, shall record in a special ledger an accurate summary of the request, his or her reasons for granting it and the amount of money advanced, which will not be subject to view by anyone except the Chief of Police, except under circumstances recited in § 61-4C below.
C. 
The Chief of Police himself shall make no direct withdrawals from the fund for use in any criminal investigation he or she may be conducting on his or her own. In the unlikely event of such a circumstance, such a withdrawal may only be authorized by the Supervisor and one Town Board member of the Public Safety Committee, both of whom shall note their authorization in the special ledger maintained by the Chief of Police.
A. 
On the first day of each month, the Chief of Police shall submit a written report to the Town Clerk stating the amount of any moneys expended from the fund and, in general terms, that is, terms which would not specifically identify the particular investigation for which the moneys were expended, stating the purpose of such expenditure. The report is to be made to the Town Clerk even if no expenditures are made during said month.
B. 
If and in the event that there is a depletion of the moneys in said fund to the point where the Chief of Police believes the fund should be replenished, vouchers for moneys expended must be submitted to the Town Clerk, and the same shall be audited by the Supervisor and the Town Board as any other voucher would be reviewed by them. Said voucher will describe the expenditure in general terms, as described in Subsection A above.
C. 
If and in the event any particular voucher is of such a nature that the auditing body, in acquitting its responsibility, cannot approve payment, such voucher is to be referred to the Supervisor and one Town Board member of the Public Safety Committee. Upon such a referral, the Chief of Police will, from the entries in his or her confidential ledger, provide the Supervisor and the Board member with specifics of the matter for which the moneys were expended. Upon the recommendation of the Supervisor and said Board member, the voucher shall be deemed approved and a sum equal to the amount thereof shall be reimbursed to the fund by the Town Treasurer.
D. 
If and in the event that the Supervisor and the Board member, pursuant to the review prescribed in Subsection C above, deny recommendation of approval of payment of said voucher, in which event the Chief of Police would be personally liable for the amount involved, the Chief of Police, utilizing witnesses from his or her Department, as well as other witnesses, may present his or her claim to the full Board, sitting in executive session, and the determination of the full Board shall be final, except for appellate remedies available to the Chief of Police in the Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR).
The Town Board of the Town of Seneca Falls may, by local law, terminate the existence of the Police Investigation Fund, and, upon the enactment of such a local law, the Chief of Police shall provide the Board with a full accounting of his or her custody of the fund and shall remit all moneys remaining therein to the Town Treasurer, pursuant to and not inconsistent with the accounting procedures heretofore outlined.
Any person hereafter employed by the Town of Seneca Falls Police Department shall, at the time of employment, reside within the Town of Seneca Falls, or within a radius of 30 miles from the Town limits, and shall continue to reside within a radius of 30 miles during such employment.
This section shall not apply to applicants to the Police Department, but shall apply to any police officer after permanent appointment by the Town Board.