Muttontown, Upper Brookville police partnership results in $960G award

State officials have awarded $960,000 to the villages of Muttontown and Upper Brookville after they formed a joint police force in 2022.

The state's County-Wide Shared Services Initiative distributes grants to municipalities that share resources and find ways to rein in the cost of government services. 

The villages established the Muttontown-Upper Brookville Police Department in June 2022, after the Old Brookville Police Department stopped serving five North Shore villages, including Upper Brookville. 

After that contract ended, Muttontown's police department absorbed Upper Brookville in a new agreement. Muttontown is responsible for funding two-thirds of the total police budget, while Upper Brookville handles one-third of the expense.

Upper Brookville Mayor Elliot Conway said the new department is able to respond to emergencies more quickly and has a car that patrols the village 24 hours a day.

"We’ve never had that in 70 years," Conway said in an interview. "We’re delighted with the new relationship."

Muttontown Mayor James Liguori said the merger enabled an expansion of a department that is more financially stable. The two villages border one another.

Village residents now "have better service," Liguori said. "We save both villages a ton of money ... this is a huge win all around."

Old Brookville stopped serving Upper Brookville, Brookville, Mill Neck, Matinecock and Cove Neck after the municipalities failed to reach a new agreement in 2021.

Liguori said Muttontown will receive about two-thirds of the state funding and use it to fund police retirement payouts and other law enforcement initiatives.

The County-Wide Shared Services Initiative was implemented in 2017. The state has since distributed more than $40 million to municipalities. Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead received $145,765 for a shared pavement management program. Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay received $29,132 for a joint fuel purchase. Nassau also earned $135,907 for creating the "Nassau Saves" Intermunicipal Shared Services Po r tal. 

"When local governments find efficiencies through shared services it shows they care about protecting taxpayers," said Walter Mosley, New York's secretary of state. "Nassau County’s use of this program to cut costs while also improving public safety is a win-win for residents in Muttontown and Upper Brookville."

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ