batavia

Within minutes of a reported robbery at the Sunoco Gas Station on West Main Street, a Batavia police officer reported taking a suspect into custody on Dellinger Avenue.

The initial report had a man who may have displayed a gun running from the store wearing a red coat and black mask.

UPDATE 11:04 p.m.: Officers on scene confirmed the suspect did use a gun and a gun was recovered. No word on how much money was taken. Officers recovered what appeared to be garments the suspect discarded as he ran from the store, including a red sweatshirt, black ski mask and sunglasses. Deputy Chris Erion was quickly on scene with his K-9 "Destro." Destro tracked the suspect's path and located what officers believed to be the demand note used by the suspect. The robbery was dispatched to Batavia PD patrols at 9:50 p.m. and an officer reported the suspect in custody at 9:53 p.m. The name of the suspect won't be released until after his arraignment in City Court. 

Notes: Destro, you may remember, is new to the force. While he has worked to help track a possibly missing person, Erion confirmed this is the first time Destro has tracked a suspected criminal and helped find evidence. Also, since Thursday, we've had, in the city, a burglary in progress, a bank robbery and now this armed robbery and in all three cases suspects were apprehended quickly by local law enforcement (State Police assisting Batavia PD on the bank robbery).

Top photo, Sgt. Chris Camp, Deputy Erion and Destro checking out the location on Dellinger of a possible demand note used by the suspect. Photos below: Officer James DeFreze with ski mask and sweater that may have been discarded near the station by the suspect, and the Sunoco station on West Main with Batavia PD, Sheriff's Office and State Police on scene.

Town planners approved a sign tonight for a new sushi restaurant that will reportedly open soon at 4140 Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia.

The restaurant, YUME Asian Bistro, will be the third location for the owner, according to Dan Lang, the town's code enforcement officer. The other two are in New York City.

Everything about the new restaurant, Lang said, is first-class.

"The interior looks wonderful, actually," Lang said. "He did a beautiful job on the inside of it."

Lang said the owner is just about ready, and eager to open.

The location is next to Pawn King, two doors down from Jagged Edges Salon, across from Walmart.

His top chef from New York will open the restaurant and train the cooks and staff before returning to NYC.

"He wants to make sure he has somebody who takes care of the sushi the right way," Lang said.

The restaurant will also serve Thai food as well as other Asian dishes.

Lang described the new restaurant as "high end."

UPDATE: So, apparently, Batavia will have two sushi restaurants going by similar names. Josh Gaylord says that he filed for a DBA for Yume Sushi in June and then Yumi Asian Bistro filed in July. Gaylord is planning to open his restaurant at the former Delavan's location on Evans Street in the city.  He's previously held a Sushi night at Sweet Ecstasy Bakery and his sushi has gained a passionate local following.

Police have been dispatched to High Voltage Tattoo and Piercing on West Main Street, Batavia, to take a report on a petit larceny of a tattoo.

A woman reportedly got a tattoo of stars on her shoulder and when the tattoo artist asked her to pay when the work was done, she said she didn't have any money.

The artist told her to wait while he called police and the woman reportedly left anyway, driving away in a black pickup truck.

Authorities will be told her name.

A possible structure fire is reported at 4535 W. Saile Drive, a barn behind Michelle's Bakery.

Smoke is seen coming from the structure.

Town of Batavia fire dispatched.

UPDATE 7:28 a.m.: A chief on scene reports the fire may have burned itself out. Responding units can come in non-emergency.

UPDATE 7:30 a.m.: It turns out to be a vehicle fire. The vehicle has been removed from the building. The structure is not involved.

UPDATE 7:37 a.m.: Fire is knocked down. Assignment being held to Engine 24.

UPDATE 8:14 a.m.: Town of Batavia back in service. Fire contained to vehicle. Smoke damage to the building.

Members of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra are busy getting their act together for the GSO's concert Feb. 16 at St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia.

Tonight, the orchestra rehearsed at the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia.

Raffaele Ponti is the conductor and music director for the show, which will feature soloists Holly Bewley, a soprano, and pianist Isabelle Aubin (who were not part of tonight's rehearsal).

The program includes works by Leonard Bernstein, Mozart, Annunzio Montovani, Leroy Anderson, Schubert and John Williams.

Tickets are available at geneseesymphony.com as well as GO ART!, Roxy's Music and the Batavia Senior Center and in Le Roy at the Bank of Castile.

Top photo: Lynn Eberhardt, of Scottsville, on bass.

A violin in the hands of Jill Babinski.

Dave Funston, of Batavia, on drums.

Conductor and music director Raffaele Ponti.

Dave Porter, trombone

The owner of Eastown Beverages, Paul Parise, is hoping readers of The Batavian can identify the owner of this truck.

According to Parise, somebody driving this truck stole pallets from outside his business at 563 E. Main St., Batavia. He also wonders whether the same person may have tried to break into his store two weeks ago.

Batavia PD has an open investigation on the case, according to Officer Jamie Givens, but no suspects.

Anybody who might have information useful to the investigation are asked to call Batavia PD at (585) 345-6350.

A new exhibit featuring the work of local photographer Susan Meier is on view at the Gallery at Blue Pearl Yoga through the month of January. The show is free and open to the public during gallery hours.

Meier, a lifelong resident of Genesee County, currently resides in East Pembroke. A self-taught artist, she began taking photographs as a preteen.

“I won a camera in a coloring contest and that sparked my interest,” she says.

After graduating from Genesee Wyoming BOCES with a degree in Cosmetology, Susan operated a hair salon out of her home for several years but continued her interest in photography, joining the Batavia Photography Club in 1995. She began photographing weddings in the late '90s and by 2001 she graduated from Genesee Community College with an AAS in Commercial Art. In 2010 she moved her business to the Harvester Artisan Center. She is a member of the Professional Photographers Association, past president of the Batavia Photography Club, and is active in 4H and the Genesee County Fair.

She continues her professional development by attending workshops throughout the country where she’s learned techniques like off-camera flash and studio and portrait lighting. Her work has been shown at the Richmond Memorial Library where she’s won multiple People’s Choice Awards, Moon Java Café, Genesee Community College, GoArt!, and Muller Quaker. Aside from her work as a wedding photographer, Susan’s professional work includes high school senior portraits, professional head shots, as well as newborn, family, and maternity photos.  

“The 11 images in the Blue Pearl exhibit feature a mix of fashion/glamour, boudoir, concept shoots and some photo digital art,” Meier says. "Concept shoots are ideas or unique concepts brought to life.

The concept images on display include Feather, 1940s Glam, Steampunk, Snow Princess and Flower. Her training as a cosmetologist allows her to construct elaborate styles for her models.

She is available for private photography lessons. You may contact her at 585-861-0415 or visit her studio at the Harvester Artisan Center, 56 Harvester Ave., on the first floor. Her social media presence includes Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 500px, Google Plus, Shop Batavia.

The exhibit can be seen during gallery hours on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.; Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

For more information, call Blue Pearl Yoga at 585.230.5430.

James Mitchell, 35, of Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Mitchell was arrested following a months-long investigation by the Livingston County Sheriff's Office into reports of stolen co-payments at a doctor's office where Mitchell worked in Avon. The investigation took time, according to LCSO, because of lengthy billing cycles and victims coming forward. Mitchell was allegedly stealing co-pays as patients checked out at their physician's office. The investigation was conducted by Deputy Dan Rittenhouse, Deputy Ross Gerace, Deputy Steph Schroeder and Deputy Mike Yencer.

Kelly M. Zwolinski, 34, of Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, and resisting arrest. Zwolinski was identified as a suspect in possession of a stolen horse saddle that was taken from a farm in Niagara County and an arrest warrant was issued. When Deputy Kevin McCarthy and Investigator William Ferrando attempted to place Zwolinski under arrest, she allegedly resisted arrest.

Darlene Ann Kingdollar, 51, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Kingdollar is accused of entering the 7-Eleven store in Oakfield while intoxicated and after she was denied the purchase of alcohol, she allegedly left the store with a can of beer without paying for it.

Bruce J. Brade, 33, of Galloway Road, Batavia, is charged with stalking, 4th, and criminal contempt, 2nd. Brade allegedly violated an order of protection.

Mark J. Price, 37, Township Road, Ashland, Ohio, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear for an alleged traffic violation in Batavia City Court. Price was aprehended during a traffic stop in the Village of Attica. Price was issued an appearance ticket.

Jeffrey A. Pionessa, 32, of Glenwood Drive, Attica, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding in zone. Pionessa was stopped at 2:30 a.m. Sunday on Law Street, Batavia, by Officer Arick Perkins. Pionessa allegedly had a BAC of .11.

A 17-year-old resident of Trumbull Parkway, Batavia is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. The youth is accused of damaging the mobile phone charger of another person by throwing it against a wall and grabbing the arm of the alleged victim and pushing the person's face.

John K. Rolls, 34, of Mill Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of forcible touching. Rolls is accused of forcibly touching a 17-year-old girl on Jan. 7. Rolls is incarcerated in the Genesee county Jail on an unrelated matter and was issued an appearance ticket.

Brad Strzelecki, 19, of Hunter Street, Bergen, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Strzelecki was reported at a location on Bank Street at 10:01 a.m. Jan. 13 when he was allegedly found in possession of marijuana by Officer Eric Foels.

Rodeny Lowell McKenzie, 49, of Weaver Street, Buffalo, is charged with petit larceny. McKenzie was located by Transit Police in Buffalo during a check-the-welfare interview and identified as a warrant suspect for allegedly stealing items from Kmart on Dec. 12.

Bryant William Hardtner, 28, of State Street Road, Batavia, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Hardtner is accused of taking a vehicle Sunday without the owner's consent.

Kimberly Diane Ribbeck, 27, of Genesee Street, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving a vehicle with obstructed vision and no or inadequate plate light. Ribbeck was stopped at 2:33 a.m. Sunday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Michael Gerald Pernicano, 21, of Lake Road, Holley, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to signal and no plate light. Pernicano was stopped at 2:29 a.m. Saturday on North Byron Road, Byron, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Lena Marie Evans, 26, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Evans was arrested for allegedly shoplifting at Kmart by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Carey Anthony Bedell III, 18, of Lehigh Avenue, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Bedell was arrested on Clinton Street Road, Byron, at 9:43 p.m. Friday.

Matthew R. Smith, 21, of Basom, is charged with forcible touching. Smith was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at noon Thursday.

Mark A. Allison, 52, of Lockport, is charged with felony DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Allison was arrested by State Police following the report at 9:29 p.m. Thursday of a two-car accident at 372 Bloomingdale Road, Basom. One person was injured. The driver of the other vehicle was Alexander Shirira, 56, of Buffalo. No other details released.

The month of January has been a nightmare for the Notre Dame Hockey Team, but yesterday afternoon it may have woken up as the players defeated Batavia/Alexander, 2-1.

The Fighting Irish came into the contest just 1-4 this month, and had lost four straight by a combined score of 28 to 4. But, the win against crosstown rival Batavia/Alexander is a step in the right direction.

“We’ve been struggling recently,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Marc Staley. “We had two good practices getting prepared for this. We felt that we had hit rock bottom and the good thing about rock bottom is that you’re done falling. We thought we would come out and play a good game tonight.”

Notre Dame came out fast in the first period, controlling play for the majority of the period before Spencer Misiak pounced on a loose puck and put it by Blue Devil goaltender James Cryer 7:25 into the game.

“We wanted to focus on puck possession,” Staley said. “I thought we did a great job of that in the first period. We wanted to wear their defense down. The more we kept the puck down low, the more we can keep it out off of the stick of guys like Rich Francis.”

Just like the Irish did to start the game, Batavia/Alexander came out fast in the second period and their leading scorer, Francis, was able to get loose.

Francis picked up a nice pass from Julien Schimley and deked out goaltender Tyler Stroud for his 10th goal of the season.

“I think we had a little letdown in the second period,” Staley said. “But we also had three penalties called against us in the period, so that took a little steam out of us. We got focused again after the second period and righted the ship.”

The Irish would strike again on what would be the game-winner as Kevin Moscicki blasted a shot from the point that got through less than two minutes into the third period.

The Notre Dame defense did the rest of the work as Stroud stood tall in goal, making 19 saves on the night.

“Moscicki did a great job just getting it through to the net,” Staley said. “This game against Batavia is always that way. It’s one bounce or another and it ended up bouncing our way tonight.”

Cryer faced a barrage of shots all night, stopping 32 of 34 shots on the night for Batavia/Alexander (4-9-0).

“A win is always important,” Staley said. “We needed a win at this time of the year just to lift the spirits in the locker room.”

Notre Dame improves to 5-9-1.

A Batavia resident has set up a Facebook group and scheduled a meeting aimed at fighting crime in the city.

The Batavia Neighborhood Watch group already has 95 members.

It was set up by Michael Hough, who wrote in his first post:

There is no doubt that crime is on the rise in Batavia. This group is intended to bring the community together to deal with the issues, and to serve as a liaison between citizens and law enforcement officers.

He's calling for a meeting of concerned citizens 5 p.m., Jan. 25, at Tim Horton's.

It seems like such a simple plan. Walk into a bank, hand the teller a note, and walk out with a bag full of money.

Of course, the bank is in the midst of a city on a Saturday morning when traffic has both eastbound and westbound lanes snarled with cars, SUVs and semi-trucks. Your getaway vehicle is an easily identifiable older model maroon Plymouth minivan with Florida plates. Your driver may be high. He may not even know about your plan. The only available route out of town is a snow-and-slush covered Route 98 that has an Attica police officer always positioned at one end of the highway and is frequently patrolled by troopers.

What could possibly go wrong?

Enough, apparently, that the would-be alleged bank robber was in custody mere minutes after the heist was reported and the man who allegedly drove the minivan is facing a DWAI charge.

Gregory Beardsley, 29, of 220 W. Main St., Batavia, is the robbery suspect. He charged with grand larceny, 2nd, and robbery, 3rd.

Beardsley allegedly left the bank with $3,000 in cash. All of the money was recovered.

No weapon was displayed during the robbery, nor was there a threat of a weapon.

Philip Burrs, 32, the alleged driver, was arrested by State Police and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs or alcohol and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Whether Burrs is charged with any crimes related to the robbery hasn't been determined, Hill said. The investigation is continuing.

The robbery was reported to emergency dispatchers at 11:28 a.m.

Bank employees provided dispatchers with an exact description of the suspect's vehicle, including the license plate number.

"The tellers did a fantastic job at the bank getting all the information and getting it out to our dispatchers," Officer Eric Hill said.

A trooper spotted the car, which is not owned by either Breadsley nor Burrs, at 11:34 a.m. heading southbound on Route 98. 

A felony traffic stop was initiated by Trooper Micheal Hamilton with the assistance of an Attica police officer further south on Route 98 at the Mooch’s Auto Glass location.

The two suspects were taken into custody and placed in separate patrol vehicles.

While being questioned later, Burrs could be heard telling officers that he had no idea his passenger went into Five Star to rob it. He repeatedly said he knew nothing about the robbery.

Hill said Burrs has continued to maintain that he had no idea Beardsley planned a robbery and had no part in it.

Asked if this was a particularly brilliant robbery plan, Hill said he doesn't know what drove the suspect to try and steal money.

"I don't know," Hill said. "Desperation? You do some things you might not normally do, depending on the circumstances. I'm not exactly sure why he felt the need to rob the bank, but you know, obviously he's desperate for money for some reason. We're currently in the process of deposing him to find out what his side of the story is. I'm sure all of that will come out eventually."

CORRECTION: The article originally said Burrs was charged with DWI. He was charged with DWAI. 

Top Photo: Beardsley being transferred from one patrol vehicle to another at the traffic stop location on Route 98. Law enforcement officers are screening Beardsley from camera view.

The Five Star branch on West Main, Batavia, shortly after the robbery.

The scene of the stop on Route 98.

Sgt. John Szumigala and Officer Eric Hill with the suspected getaway minivan.

Deputy Brian Thompson and "Pharoah" sniff around the suspect vehicle.

Officer Eric Hill speaking with suspect Philip Burrs, who is out of the picture in the back of the State Police vehicle.

More than 100 gun rights advocates turned out this morning in 20-degree whether at the NYSP barracks on West Saile Drive to protest the SAFE Act.

As expected, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was the target of the protest signs and the speakers' rhetoric, but as it turned out, Cuomo gave the protesters a little extra ammunition when, during a radio interview yesterday, the first-term governor said, “If they are extreme conservatives, they have no place in the State of New York."

More than one speaker mentioned Cuomo's statement and suggested that perhaps it's Cuomo who should leave New York and is the one out of step with the majority of New Yorkers.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley also took Cuomo to task for his statement.

“The governor’s comments about my constituents are offensive and are a Freudian slip, which reveals what he truly thinks of Upstate New Yorkers. He has no right to come to Upstate New York and call himself governor when he has such obvious disdain for its people,” Hawley said. “The majority of Upstate New Yorkers are pro-Second Amendment and believe in traditional family values.

"If the governor does not think the good people of Upstate New York have a place in New York, he seems to be doing a good job of driving our families out of the state with his highest-in-the-nation taxes and infringements on our rights.”

Cuomo's apparent lack of fondness for the people of Upstate New York is yet another reason, Hawley said, for supporting his call for a voter referendum on dividing New York into two states.

For more on Cuomo's statement, see this Buffalo News article.

We had a request to purchase these photos, so, for anybody who would like to purchase prints, click here.

A robbery just occurred at Five Star Bank at 390 W. Main St. in the city. Police are out in full force looking for a maroon van with tinted windows and possibly a Florida license plate. The vehicle is driven by an alleged accomplice. The robber is described as 6'2'' wearing black pants, a scarf, a black stocking over his face, eyeglasses and a dark jacket. No weapon was displayed. The vehicle is said to be headed toward Alexander...The police have stopped it on southbound Route 98. Attica has been notified.

UPDATE 11:38 a.m.: Both suspects are outside the vehicle being taken into custody.

They say you can’t teach size, and that was evident as Greece Arcadia out-muscled Batavia en route to a 61-56 win in Monroe County League play.

The Blue Devils got off to a slow start in the first quarter, as the Titans imposed their will inside and raced out to a 20-7 lead after the first frame.

“[Arcadia] is a physically tough team,” said Batavia Head Coach Buddy Brasky. “They’re the most talented team in the division. But, I was disappointed with our lack of toughness to start. We’re not big, we’re not strong, but we’re usually pretty scrappy. For some reason we didn’t bring that toughness to start the first quarter.”

Batavia scrapped their way back throughout the game, cutting the lead to as few as six in the second half after switching defenses and getting back-to-back three-pointers from Jerrett Laskett.

“I thought their size was hurting us in man-to-man,” Brasky said. “We switch on screens and we got some bad mismatches. We were hoping that the zone would get them a little more stationary. I thought it worked well, it helped get us back in the game.”

The leading scorers for the Blue Devils, Jeff Redband and Justice Fagan, struggled to find room to breathe all night and were smothered by the Arcadia defense.

Laskett stepped up in the second half while the defense was keyed in on Redband and Fagan. The junior reserve knocked down three three-point field goals in the second half and finished with 14 points.

“Everybody is taking Redband and Justice out of the game,” Brasky said. “Until someone else starts scoring consistently, it’s going to be difficult to be good teams. The tough thing is, the guys we’re asking to score are young guys.”

The Blue Devils, however, struggled all night to find an answer for Arcadia’s big men.

6-foot-6 senior Josh McFarland dominated inside all night, scoring 15 points, pulling 18 rebounds, blocking two shots and making two steals.

Jimmie Eddington, a 6-foot-5 senior, chipped in 14 points and grabbed five rebounds for Arcadia (7-4).

Fagan finished with a team-high 15 points, while Redband chipped in with 14, and Malachi Chenault added 11 points and eight rebounds for Batavia (7-4).

Top Photo: Jeff Redband attracted a crowd everywhere he went last night. A foul was called on the defense.

Photos by Howard Owens.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Jeff Redband, again in a sea of maroon jerseys.

Jerrett Laskett driving for the basket.

Greg Mruczek awaits a rebound opportunity during a free-throw attempt.

Jerrett Laskett scores on a layup in the fourth quarter.

Kiyonta M. Moffett, 23, of Buffalo, is charged with false personation, 2nd, aggravated unlicensed operation and operating with one headlamp; Lillie B. Owens, 21, of Erie, Pa., is charged criminal impersonation, 2nd, and was also arrested on a warrant out of Amherst. Moffett's car was stopped on Route 63, Batavia, by a state trooper for a broken headlight. When the trooper approached, allegedly the driver did not produce a license. The driver allegedly gave a name that later turned out to be false. It turned out, the name given was for a person with a petit larceny warrant out of Cheektowaga. Owens was reportedly a passenger in the vehicle and also allegedly gave a false name when asked to identify herself. Moffett was jailed on $750, and bail was set at $250 for Owens.

Arthur Mack Osborne, 47, of Park Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Osborne is accused of contacting a person protected by court order. Osborne was reportedly attempting to leave New York for Florida at the time he was located by Deputy Brian Thompson. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Sara Elizabeth Schimley, 24, of Weaver Street, Buffalo, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Schimley was taken into custody on a warrant out of Le Roy Town Court.

Robert Darnell Wright, 22, of East Tupper, Buffalo, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to pay fine imposed by court. Wright was arrested at the time of his release from Monroe County Jail, where he was held on an unrelated matter. Wright was arraigned in Genesee County Court and released upon his promise to make his monthly payments.

A 29-year-old man who broke into the apartment of a woman in Le Roy and raped her at knifepoint has been sent to prison for 18 years by Judge Robert C. Noonan.

Charles D. Johnson, 29, of 82 Gilbert St., Building #14, Apt. #6, Le Roy, will also be required to have 25 years of post-release supervision.

Johnson entered a guilty plea Nov. 26 in an agreement with prosecutors that he serve no more than 18 years in prison.  The minimum sentence available to Noonan, which he rejected, was eight years.

Johnson was indicted on counts of predatory sexual abuse, a Class A-II violent felony, burglary in the first degree, a Class B violent felony, and criminal possession of a weapon, a Class D felony.

He entered a guilty plea to a Class B violent felony. If convicted at trial, he would have faced 10 to 25 years in prison.

Johnson was identified as the suspect through DNA evidence, leading to his quick arrest following the May 9 rape.

Also in Genesee County Court today: Michael A. Nicometo, 28, of 45 North St., Le Roy, who was scheduled for sentencing this morning on his conviction for burglary, 3rd. Nicometo was involved in the heist of high-voltage copper wire from industrial buildings in Le Roy. Nicometo missed his appearance time today and a warrant was issued for his arrest. In the afternoon, he voluntarily appeared in court and his sentencing has been rescheduled for 11:45 a.m., Monday. Earlier this month, Nicometo missed his scheduled sentencing appearance because he was reportedly hospitalized in Rochester. Police arrested Nicometo in March following an investigation into the theft of high-voltage wire from industrial complexes in the Le Roy area. He and an alleged accomplice were later accused of doing $32,000 in damage to the Dolomite facility in Le Roy.

Yesterday in County Court, Shane M. Bell, 47, of 161 Jackson St., Batavia., charged with assault in the 2nd degree for allegedly hitting a man outside the Harvester bar on Harvester Avenue, was scheduled for a plea cut-off hearing. The plea cut-off date was extended to Jan. 23. If Bell and his attorney are unable to reach a plea agreement with the District Attorney's Office by that date, he will go to trial April 21.

The bad guys have surveillance cameras. Why shouldn't the guys in white hats have them, too?

Rob Yaeger, Batavia PD's assistant chief, said during an interview today that seeing surveillance cameras on the homes of known troublemakers is an increasing trend.

"Usually it's the houses we have to go to repeatedly, they have the cameras," Yaeger said. "They want to know who's coming to their door."

As part of the 2014-15 city budget, Batavia PD is requesting $7,500 for a surveillance camera.

Based on initial reactions from the public, Chief Shawn Heubusch thinks there are misconceptions about its purpose and how it will be used.

First, it won't be a stationary camera. It will be portable so it can be set up in anticipated trouble spots and moved around as needed.

Second, its video feed won't be monitored 24/7.

"I just don't want the general public to get the idea that it's Big Brother watching them because we don't really have the need to do that, nor we do we want to," Heubusch said.

Cameras have been successfully used to deter crime in Binghamton and Hornell, Heubusch said.

While those cameras are stationary, "they've seen a very dramatic decrease in crime where cameras are installed," Heubusch said.

The chief said he understand some of the concerns some people have expressed about surveillance cameras, but he believes in certain neighborhoods at certain times, they can be helpful in fighting crime.

"I certainly wouldn't want one out in front of my house, but if I lived on a bad block, I might want one in front of my house," Heubusch said.

Of course, surveillance camera technology these days has gotten so good and so inexpensive, that just about anybody -- including criminals -- can set up cameras outside their homes.

It's not a bad idea for people interested in protecting their property or their neighborhood to install their own cameras, Heubusch said.

"I would encourage anybody, if they can afford it, to install a video surveillance system just around their house, around their property, because property crime is always there," Heubusch said. "Unfortunately it will always be with us."

That said, in response to a comment on The Batavian, Heubusch said, it's still up to Batavia PD to take advantage of technology to help fight crime. The police can't rely solely on private citizens installing cameras. For one thing, the chain of evidence rules might make it harder for such video evidence to be admissible, especially if the resident demands anonymity.

It's also just better for police to conduct their own operations.

"It's our property," Heubusch said. "We're the ones in charge of keeping the safety and security of the residents of the city. I'm not going to depend on somebody else to put a video surveillance system on a troubled property. I'll do that myself. That's my job."

Still, in today's society -- not just in Batavia -- crime is always a public worry, and if residents want to take on themselves the installation of cameras in their neighborhoods, that's not a bad thing, Heubusch said.

"We do everything we can to stay on top of it (crime), but we'll take all the help we can get, so if somebody wants to install a camera system at their house, by God, bring it on."

One of the keys to what officials are calling a neighborhood sweep program in Batavia is to give law-abiding residents a safe outlet for sharing with cops what they're seeing on their blocks.

While explaining further the program to The Batavian today, Batavia PD Chief Shawn Heubusch and Assistant Chief Rob Yaeger, used the example of "Granny Smith" and how she'll benefit from the program and interact with police.

"She's going to have a police officer come up to her door and talk to her, because, you know, Granny Smith is probably the lady that says, 'I don't want to bother the cops. They've got so much better things to worry about,' " Yaeger said. "Or she's going to be one of those says, 'if I say anything, they (the criminals) are going to know it's me.' We're going to talk to everybody on the street so nobody can be singled out so somebody can say, 'that's the one who said something.' "

Contrary to previous reports, Heubusch said, the police aren't coming in and locking down a neighborhood for two or three hours. People will be able to come and go -- maybe not without being asked to show an ID -- and the sweeps will be over quickly.

"That's one of the keys to this -- giving people the outlet to come and talk to us," Heubusch said. "Like Rob said, there are people won't call us because they don't want to bother us, or they won't call us because they're concerned about what might happen to them. Well, if you've got a whole neighborhood willing to make that connection right there, in person, face to face, without any fear of retribution, that's going to embolden or empower people to come forward with more information in the future."

The timing for the program, perhaps, couldn't be better, the city's two top cops said.

In recent months there've been reports of shots fired on State Street and on Jackson Street, an armed robbery on Jackson, armed robberies of local hotels and an alleged burglar picked up this week off Park Avenue while carrying a loaded handgun.

The gun play is getting worse and worse and worse," Yaeger said. "We need to stop this and clean it up now."

The program is inspired by a series of neighborhood sweeps instituted in Buffalo. Law enforcement and municipal leaders there have met with Batavia officials and are providing ongoing consulting.  The sweeps have been very, very successful in Buffalo, Yaeger said.

"The chief in Buffalo told me, 'if we had started this program 20 years ago, we wouldn't be having the problems we have now,' " Yaeger said. "It's been very, very successful for them and the citizens absolutely love it."

It's been so successful and so well received in Buffalo, Yaeger said, local residents should wait to see it implemented in Batavia before passing judgment.

"In Buffalo, the neighborhoods love it," Yaeger said. "The block clubs love it. You'll see, once it's been tried here, the neighborhood will love it. There will be positive reviews."

The sweeps won't just include police officers. There will also be code enforcement officers, parole and probation officers, animal control officers and representatives of other government agencies. 

"It's going to be like one of those national night out events where everybody comes out for a meet and greet," Yaeger said. "They're going to get to know the cops, get some of their issues addressed -- 'I don't know who to call, who can help.' It's not like we're showing up in SWAT gear saying, 'OK, who are you hiding in there?' Nothing like that. It's going to be positive."

Neighborhoods selected for sweeps will be chosen based on data -- increased numbers of calls for service, more reports of criminal activity and perhaps one particular house known to be a cause of trouble or specific individuals in a neighborhood police believe will be causing problems.

In most cases, in fact, police might have one or two or three known troublemakers they hope to locate in a particular neighborhood, which is why a street might be closed to vehicle traffic, making it harder for targeted individuals to slip out without detection.

The sweeps will be completely unannounced for that reason, as well.

Heubusch agreed with City Manager Jason Molino who said part of the goal is for law enforcement to be a nuisance for those who are being a nuisance.

"That's one of the things that is often over looked in policy today," Heubusch said. "Because we're often inundated with calls, officers are often tied up on other things, so to go out and do that proactive police work where you're just bothering the people who are bothering us is tough to do sometimes. So you put together details like this and it gives our officers the opportunity to be a bit of a nuisance for the people who are being a nuisance."

For civil libertarians, Heubusch said the police officers will obey the law and department regulations, which means a person can't be forced to provide identification or detained without probable cause. 

Of course, police officers can pretty much tell when somebody is refusing to provide identification on principal compared to the guy who won't provide identification because he has something to hide, and will react -- within the limits of the law -- accordingly.

The sweeps themselves, it's not a hostile takeover of a neighborhood," Heubusch said. "We're not going to be shutting Granny Smith in her house so she can't go get her medication or go see her granddaughter in a play or anything like that. It's going to be targeted enforcement in specific areas to try and squash the criminal activity."

A large fight is reported near the Batavia Youth Center, located at 12 MacArthur Drive. City police responded promptly but found the parties had left the scene.

Press release:

A contractor will be making repairs on a private waterline on Bank Street near Ross Street on Thursday, Jan. 16th. This work may require the City water main to be shut down to complete these repairs. If a service interruption is required it will impact water service on Bank Street (between Chandler Avenue and Vine Street) and Ross Street (between Bank Street and North Street). Water service would be shut down after 9 a.m. until repairs are completed which may last several hours. This work may result in a period of discolored water in this general area after service is restored. Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry which may be impacted.