The Westchester County PBA Contract Crisis: What's Happening, Why It Matters, and What I'm Going to Do About It
On July 31, 2026, the leaders of the Westchester County Police PBA held a public gathering to do something that police union leaders rarely do — go on record about a crisis they believe is being ignored by the people with the power to fix it.
They called it a growing public safety concern. And when you hear what they said, it is hard to disagree.
What the PBA Said — In Their Own Words
PBA President Wilberto Saez stood in front of the cameras and said something every resident of this county should hear directly.
"No police department should be expected to protect a growing county with fewer experienced leaders."
He didn't stop there. When asked about the specific risk of understaffed supervision, he was direct: "Supervisor spots need to be filled in case a mass incident occurs — you need the supervisors there because now the men and women are spread around and they need supervision."
He then named exactly what is being put at risk: school safety, airport security, and the ability to coordinate personnel during major public events.
And his ask to county leadership was clear: "Fill the vacant supervisory positions. Continue investing in recruiting, retaining and developing the next generation of police officers."
The source for everything above is News 12 Westchester, which covered this story on July 31, 2026. You can read the full report here: Westchester County Police PBA Raises Concerns Over Vacant Supervisor Positions — News 12 Westchester
The Numbers Behind the Concern
The PBA is not speaking in abstractions. There are five vacant sergeant positions in the Westchester County Police Department right now. Five. There are currently 43 sergeants serving the county — a number that should be 48. That gap represents real people, real shifts, and real consequences for the officers working without the supervisory support they need and deserve.
The Westchester County Police Department is comprised of approximately 300 sworn officers supported by roughly 50 civilian employees. It is responsible for protecting a county of nearly one million people — covering the parkway system, county facilities, the airport, schools, and responding to emergencies across the region.
Five vacant sergeant positions in a department of that size and scope is not a minor administrative matter. It is a structural gap that affects command and control in precisely the moments when command and control matter most.
The County's Response
News 12 reached out to the county for a response to the PBA's concerns. The county's statement is worth reading in full because it tells you a great deal about how county leadership views this situation.
The county said — and I am paraphrasing closely from their official statement, not quoting directly — that Westchester is safer today than it has been in nearly a decade, that the PBA has initiated arbitration and the county is committed to that process, that all units have supervision overseen by a captain, and that once a Deputy Commissioner position is filled, the county will wait for the results of the June sergeant examination before beginning the next round of promotions.
Let me translate that response for you.
The county is saying: crime is down, so the staffing issue is not a crisis. The arbitration process is the appropriate venue for the contract dispute. And the five vacant sergeant positions will not be filled until after an exam — an exam whose results apparently have not yet been acted upon.
That is the county's answer to a union president who went on camera and said they may not have enough supervisors to coordinate a response to a mass emergency.
I find that answer inadequate. I think most residents of this county will too.
The Contract Crisis in Context
The county's statement confirmed something important: "At this stage of contract negotiations, the PBA has initiated the arbitration process."
Arbitration is what happens when good-faith negotiation breaks down. It is the formal, legal process through which a dispute is resolved by an outside party when the two sides cannot reach agreement at the table. The fact that the PBA has initiated arbitration — rather than the two sides reaching a voluntary agreement — tells you something about the state of this relationship.
The last fully settled contract between the Westchester County Police PBA and the county expired at the end of 2022. That means the men and women of the Westchester County Police have been going to work every single day — protecting this county, responding to emergencies, patrolling highways, keeping schools safe — without the certainty of a settled contract for over three years.
Three years.
The PBA's own stated mission, as published on their website, is "to represent our membership by negotiating and enforcing a collective bargaining agreement that ensures that officers are treated fairly."
For three years, that mission has been unfulfilled. Not because the officers failed. Because the county has not resolved it.
Why This Matters Beyond the Contract
I want to be clear about something that sometimes gets lost in contract disputes: this is not just a labor issue. It is a public safety issue. And it is a retention issue. And those two things are directly connected.
When experienced officers feel that the county they serve does not value them — when they go to work without a settled contract year after year, when supervisory positions sit vacant because leadership is waiting for exam results rather than acting — they make decisions. They look at neighboring departments. They compare contracts, compensation, and working conditions. And when Westchester compares unfavorably, experienced officers leave.
When experienced officers leave, they take years of training with them. They take institutional knowledge. They take the community relationships that effective policing depends on. And they take the supervisory experience that the PBA is publicly warning this county is already running short on.
Retention is not just a budget line. It is a public safety strategy. And right now, Westchester County does not have one that is working.
The Hiring Pipeline Problem
There is one more piece of this crisis that deserves attention.
The police officer hiring exam in Westchester County is held every four years. The last exam was held in 2025. The next one is not scheduled until 2029.
That is a four-year gap in the entry-level hiring pipeline. As officers retire and as some choose to leave for better opportunities elsewhere, the department will continue to lose people with no mechanism to replace them at the officer level until 2029 — three years from now.
The county cannot cut its way to public safety. It cannot wait its way to adequate staffing. And it cannot resolve a contract dispute that has dragged into its fourth year by committing to an arbitration process and hoping for the best.
What I Will Do
I want to speak directly to the men and women of the Westchester County Police Department.
I see what is happening. I have read the PBA president's statement. I have read the county's response. I have listened to what officers have told me at their doors during this campaign. And I want to be unambiguous about where I stand.
As your County Legislator for District 16, here is my commitment.
On the contract: I will push for immediate, good-faith resolution of the outstanding contract dispute. Three years in arbitration is not a negotiating strategy — it is a failure of leadership. The officers of the Westchester County Police deserve a fair contract, and they deserve it now. I will use every avenue available to a County Legislator to move this toward resolution.
On the vacant positions: The five sergeant vacancies should be filled now. Not after the next exam cycle. Not after a new Deputy Commissioner is appointed. Now. The county has the authority to act. The PBA has asked them to act. I will add my voice to that demand from day one on the County Board.
On the hiring pipeline: A four-year gap between officer hiring exams is not a sustainable approach for a county with a growing population. I will advocate for more frequent examinations and a streamlined process that allows vacancies to be filled when they arise — not years after they open.
On the budget: Public safety cannot be subject to across-the-board percentage cuts. The 2026 county budget applied an 8% reduction to virtually every department. I believe public safety funding must be ring-fenced from that kind of blunt budgetary instrument. You cannot take a percentage off the police budget and then be surprised when the union president goes on television to say they don't have enough supervisors.
A Note on Independence
I have not accepted a single dollar from any special interest group, any developer, or any organization with a financial stake in the decisions made by the County Board. That independence matters here because contract negotiations and budget decisions are precisely the kinds of votes where donor relationships create conflicts of interest.
When I vote on public safety funding, I answer to the residents of District 16 and to no one else. That is the kind of representation that the officers of this county — and the communities they protect — deserve.
The Bottom Line
The Westchester County Police PBA went public with a serious concern on July 31st. They did it because they felt they had no other choice. They did it because the alternative — staying quiet while supervisory positions sit vacant and a contract goes unresolved for years — was worse.
The county's response was to point to crime statistics and commit to a process.
I think the people of this county — and the officers who protect them — deserve more than a process. They deserve action.
I am Dan D'Amico. I am running for Westchester County Legislator, District 16. And on November 3rd, I am asking for the chance to be the vote on that board that takes public safety seriously — not just in press releases, but in the budget, at the negotiating table, and in every decision that affects the officers who show up for this community every single day.
Source: News 12 Westchester — Westchester County Police PBA Raises Concerns Over Vacant Supervisor Positions, July 31, 2026: westchester.news12.com
Dan D'Amico is a candidate for Westchester County Legislator, District 16, Yonkers. Election Day is November 3rd. To learn more, volunteer, or donate, visit electdandamico.com.
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