A former Mount Vernon police commissioner who refused to cooperate when police spotted him with a loaded gun in a park last month will not be charged with a crime, authorities said Tuesday.
Westchester County Police Commissioner George Longworth said Tuesday that a followup inquiry, conducted with assistance from the district attorney’s office, shows Terrance Raynor had a right to carry the weapon under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act.
County police brass have faced criticism from within the ranks for not arresting Raynor when they confronted him in Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla on April 14. At the time, the ex-commish was being eyed as a possible suspect in a fight, became “hostile and uncooperative,” refused to identify himself and was found to be carrying a gun without required documentation.
Police sources questioned whether bosses gave him preferential treatment because of his connection to law enforcement. Longworth brushed off the criticism.
“The patrol commander who decided to take the weapon but continue the investigation got this one exactly right,” Police Commissioner George N. Longworth said. “The decision by the DA’s Office that charges are unwarranted contradicts any assertion that a different course of action should have been taken that evening.”
Raynor served as the Mount Vernon Police Commissioner from 2013 to 2015.