POUGHKEEPSIE – The City of Poughkeepsie held a ceremony outside Police Headquarters Thursday morning to pay tribute to three Poughkeepsie police officers who 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 thanked all the police officers throughout this country but specifically in the City of Poughkeepsie.
“You worry and then you think about all of the police officers that are no longer with us, both ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in performance of their job, but also just the ones you worked with and were friends with that are no longer here,” he said. “This stone in front of the police station honors three City of Poughkeepsie Police officers killed in the line of duty, but it also represents all of the officers that came into work every single day, did the best that they could and they are no longer with us. It’s nice to remember the people who did so much and risked so much for their community.”
Officer Kevin Van Wagner, Police Benevolent Association president, also 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 a 27-year veteran of the department.
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.
