POUGHKEEPSIE – Expressions of sympathy continued all day Wednesday as the word spread that longtime Dutchess County Sheriff Butch Anderson had died in his sleep.
His undersheriff, Kirk Imperati, called Anderson his second dad.
“The sheriff was a trailblazer when he became sheriff 22 years ago with his mantra, ‘treat people the way you want to be treated’,” Imperati said. “The police modernization and reform plans that were developed, Dutchess County was very fortunate that Sheriff Anderson was way ahead of the curve and a lot of the things that people want us to do with police modernization and reform plans, we were already doing as a sheriff’s office.”
County Executive Marc Molinaro called Anderson a true public servant who devoted his entire life to protecting and serving the community he loved so dearly.”
“Our community has lost a true hero, and words hardly feel like enough to articulate the full debt of gratitude we owe to the Sheriff and his loved ones,” said State Senator Sue Serino. “Sheriff Butch Anderson was not only a dear personal friend, but someone who felt like a father, a brother, and confidant to everyone who crossed his path. He truly was a steadfast and selfless leader who treated our whole community like family.”
Anderson served the county “with dignity and civility for decades, and he will be long remembered as one of the truly gifted leaders of the Hudson Valley,” said Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison. “Aside from his deep law enforcement credentials and successes, Butch was a community man, a gifted speaker, and he had an undeniable presence about him. I know I speak for many today when I say a tremendous void has been created by his death.”
“Sheriff Anderson possessed all the finest qualities which create an exemplary officer of law enforcement, and throughout his half-century of service, had the chance to shape and inspire entire generations of law enforcement officers and public servants who share in grief at his passing,” said Fishkill Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra.
