2 Shootings, 2 Stabbings, 1 Death: MVPD Cops Plead For Relief

MOUNT VERNON, NY — After a day marred by multiple shootings, stabbings and a fatality, the Mount Vernon Police Association is describing a department in crisis.

According to a statement from the union which represents Mount Vernon police, a recent exodus of officers leaving the city for greener pastures has left the force ill-equipped to deal with an upswing in violence that has been linked to gang activity. Union officials say the department was forced to look to other agencies for help, in part, because the MVPD is under-resourced in the wake of the departures.

On Wednesday, the department's depleted ranks became glaringly obvious, according to the union. There were two shootings and two stabbings in the city in just a matter of a few hours. One of the shootings, which took place at a vigil for an earlier gun violence victim, resulted in a man's death.

In a social media post thanking the New York State Police, Westchester County Police and MTA Police for assisting on a day in which the department was stretched thin by a number of violent incidents, the police union also expressed the wish that Mount Vernon police "had the resources to handle our own jobs and didn't have to rely on other departments to assist us."

The Mount Vernon Police Association has taken to posting images of officers who have chosen to leave the Mount Vernon Police Department in just the past few weeks. Among the most recent resignations is an officer who made headlines after buying a homeless shoplifting suspect socks rather than arresting him. Officer Valez, who is leaving the department, was singled out for praise along with his partner Officer Cartwright for their actions by Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard.

SEE ALSO: Instead Of Arrest, Mt Vernon Cops Buy Shoplifting Suspect Socks

Union officials say that the departures can partially be attributed to Mount Vernon police being among the lowest paid in the region. They say, however, in statements decrying the spate of resignations from experienced officers, that the issues go deeper than just matters of financial compensation, claiming that there are "people running the police department that care more about themselves and their careers than they do about the men and women that devote their lives to this city."