POUGHKEEPSIE – The City of Poughkeepsie held a ceremony outside Police Headquarters Thursday morning to pay tribute to three Poughkeepsie police officers that died in the line of duty. The solemn ceremony is held annually during National Police Week.
Dozens of the city’s police officers, supported by all on-duty Poughkeepsie firefighters, listened as Mayor Rob Rolison said, “We wanted to thank all the police officers throughout this country but specifically here in the City of Poughkeepsie and also to remember all the officers who are no longer with us who did this job day in and day out with great sacrifice.”
Officer Kevin Van Wagner, Police Benevolent Association president, also spoke and paid tribute to the three City officers who have fallen in the line of duty: Otto G. Albertson, 1916; Raymond Cleveland, 1969; and John M. Falcone, 2011.
Van Wagner said that the memorial honors “Officers that made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the city and also serves as a reminder to myself and all officers that our job is inherently dangerous, requiring vigilance at all times.”
Poughkeepsie police officer Otto Albertson was an 18-year veteran when he died of cerebral apoplexy just hours after discovering a fire at a tailor shop in the city. The 55-year-old officer died on December 21, 1916.
Officer Raymond Cleveland died on September 25, 1969, as a result of a heart attack he suffered while struggling with a suspect. He was 27-years-old.
Detective John Falcone, age 44, died on February 18, 2011. The 18-year veteran was fatally shot by a man who, just moments earlier, had shot and killed his wife during a domestic dispute. Falcone was attempting to disarm the man when he was shot. The suspect used the gun to kill himself after taking Falcone’s life.
To learn more about National Police Week, go to https://www.policeweek.org/index.html.
