Five more cops hired in Poughkeepsie

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New Poughkeepsie Police Officers Garry Tuma, Richard Santiago, Devon Hutton,, Brandon Whitaker, and Benedetto Lucchese. MHNN photo January 2023.

POUGHKEEPSIE – Five men took their oaths of office on Friday to become the newest members of the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department.  The new hires bring the force up to 88 sworn members, with four vacancies remaining.  In his first swearing-in ceremony as mayor, Marc Nelson vowed to continue to support the police department.

“We’re going to give you every resource and all of the help we possibly can to make sure that every day you will return home safely to your families,” Nelson vowed to the five men before they took their oaths.

Nelson said recruitment and retention efforts are a “constant struggle” faced by police agencies across the country while crediting Police Chief Tom Pape and the department for conducting exhaustive background checks on applicants as part of the hiring process.  Pape also defended his demand for thorough and lengthy evaluations before approving an applicant to join his police force.  The delays have sometimes led to manpower shortages with officers leaving or retiring before replacements are available.  “I will not compromise or loosen the strings on the people that we hire to be police officers,” while pointing to the new recruits calling them “The cream of the crop.”

State Senator Rob Rolison, the previous city mayor and retired police detective, joined the ceremony attended by the families and friends of the new recruits and offered brief words of encouragement.  “You will be counted on and you will be frowned upon – but when people need help in the City of Poughkeepsie, they’re calling you – they’re not calling anyone else.”

PBA President Kevin Van Wagner told Mid-Hudson News, “These five hirings are a start but we are still short on manpower. We will continue to work with the city to bring our staffing to a level that protects the officers while continuing to provide exceptional service to the city residents.”

The new hires are:

Garry Tuma
Richard Santiago
Devon Hutton
Brandon Whitaker
Benedetto Lucchese




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