Harrison REVIEW THE
February 23, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 8 | www.harrisonreview.com
Olsey retires while probed on sex harassment allegations
Taste of
Croatia Dubrovnik Restaurant, the only authentic Croatian restaurant in the tri-state area, is expanding its menu to include a brunch buffet to give customers a chance to try a wider variety of the restaurant’s dishes. For more, see page 6. Photo courtesy facebook.com/DubrovnikRestaurantNy
Anti-puppy mill law introduced at state level By JAMES PERO Staff Writer A move by Mamaroneck lawmakers to blockade against the sale of pets from so-called “puppy mills” has gained traction on the state level, after a new piece of legislation was proposed last week. Much like a law passed by the village of Mamaroneck in 2016, the bill, introduced to state lawmakers by Sen. Michael Gianaris, a Democrat, on Feb. 15, would ban retail pet stores from buying their pets at for-profit breeders with the hope of curtailing
the operation of “puppy mills,” mass breeders with a reputation of over-breeding and treating pets inhumanely. “With thousands of good animals in need of homes, there is no need for notorious puppy mills to supply pet stores,” said Gianaris in a released statement. “Our four-legged companions should be treated with respect, not like commodities.” When the village of Mamaroneck’s local law passed in 2016, it became the first local municipality in all of New York state to prohibit the sale of for-profit pets
through what was dubbed by local activists as a “puppy mill law.” The ban was in response to a now-shuttered local business called Best Breeds, owned by Richard Doyle, who has since been barred from selling animals in New York state after falsifying records and mistreating animals at his store. Since then, the village of Port Chester has also passed its own puppy mill law, and an initiative on the county level to ban the sale of pets from puppy mills was introduced in 2016, but wasn’t brought to a vote. California became the first state in the country
to enact such a ban on a statewide level in October 2017. Under the proposed state law, pet stores would only be allowed to acquire their pets from rescue shelters and humane societies but would be allowed to retain a portion of the adoption fees usually charged by a shelter during an adoption process. Currently, the state bill has no sponsor in the Democratic-majority Assembly and will still have to make its way through a Republican-controlled Senate. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
Harrison Police Chief Michael Olsey has retired from his position with the Police Department, after serving in the role for roughly more than a year. Olsey was under investigation for sexual harassment. File photo
Harrison Police Chief Michael Olsey has retired from his position as the head of the Police Department, amid sexual harassment allegations made against him from one of the department’s detectives. On Feb. 15, Olsey submitted his letter of retirement to the Harrison Town Council, whose members also serve as the town police commissioners. Olsey was under investigation by the town Law Department, which started its investigation when Detective Derka Abbate filed a complaint with Harrison’s attorneys at the end of last year. In the complaint, Abbate accused Olsey of sexual harassing her for six years. Abbate is a 14-year veteran of the Harrison Police Department,
and is married to Richard Abbate, who is also a police officer in the department. Olsey has served as the town’s police chief since December 2016, after replacing former Chief Anthony Marraccini, who also resigned amid a town investigation. Olsey worked for the department for more than 20 years before becoming the chief. Olsey continued to work while the town conducted its investigation into the sexual harassment claim. According to the town budget, Olsey was supposed to earn $210,000 this year. As of press time, Capt. Edward Detlefs is now serving as the acting chief of the department until the town begins searching for Olsey’s replacement. -Reporting by Franco Fino
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