POUGHKEEPSIE – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney stood with Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison on Tuesday to announce that the city can now access $630,000 of federal funding to hire up to five new officers who will be assigned to the Community Policing unit.
Maloney had originally made the funding available to the city in 2015 but the city was unable to meet a major component; being at full manpower in order to accept the funding. Rolison called the funding “a much-needed boost to help reinvigorate the efforts our administration is making to keep our residents safe.” Maloney added “When the city is safe, the city is prosperous.”
According to Rolison, due to the city’s award-winning “Police Retention Program”, Poughkeepsie is now able to take advantage of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) funds secured by Maloney. The plan raised salaries for officers, stemming the exodus of Poughkeepsie officers to other higher-paying departments in the region. The plan has allowed for the Community Policing unit to be revived after having been dormant for a decade.
“The City of Poughkeepsie is on the move – it’s on the rise,” said Maloney in announcing the news. Maloney said that “a lot of the progress that the city has made has been in public safety.”
The congressman, in office since 2013, pointed out that Poughkeepsie has seen a reduction in violent crime which makes the residents feel safer in their homes and on the streets. Citing economic development, Maloney noted that new businesses are coming to Poughkeepsie and existing ones are expanding, which is a sign of confidence in the city.
The funding will go directly to the police department and Chief Tom Pape is looking forward to putting the money into use in expanding the Community Policing division. “These officers will greatly aid our department to curb crime and do more community policing. The city is firmly committed to public safety, as demonstrated by recently released statistics showing most categories of violent crimes have dropped dramatically over the last decade.”
Earlier this year, the State Division of Criminal Justice Services released trends tracked over a 10-year period that show violent crimes dropped from 417 in 2009 to 216 in 2018, a 48.2 percent decrease. Robberies, burglaries, and property crimes also have fallen by 50 percent or more during that same timeframe.
