POUGHKEEPSIE – A recent change in New York’s Civil Service law has reduced the number of hiring constraints on the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement agencies, according to Sheriff Kirk Imperati. As a result of the change, police departments can hire officers who are currently employed by the NYPD, SUNY Police, NYC DEP Police, and NYS Park Police because they no longer need to be “reachable” on the county’s civil service list to be hired by the sheriff or departments such as the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department.
Imperati applauded the change. “It’s beneficial to take in lateral transfers because the officer is already trained. In particular, NYPD officers have extensive training and experience with de-escalation techniques, procedural justice, and implicit bias which are the techniques we employ to handle calls for service in Dutchess County today.”
The Dutchess Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Division, consisting of several bureaus and specialized units, provides law enforcement services throughout the entire 825 square miles of Dutchess County. This includes 20 towns, eight villages, and teo cities with a total county population of over 300,000 residents. Annually, the Sheriff’s Office handles approximately 60,000 calls for police service. This allows for numerous opportunities for police officers to be assigned to specialized units and task forces.
Imperati said the organizational structure of his agency allows for numerous opportunities for police officers to be assigned to specialized units and task forces, making it an attractive alternative to working in NYC.
BUREAUS in the DCSO
- Patrol Bureau
- Detective Bureau
- Special Operations Bureau
- Administration Bureau
- Internal Affairs Bureau
SPECIALTY UNITS
- K-9 Unit
- Emergency Services Unit
- Crisis Negotiations Unit
- Motorcycle Unit
- All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Unit
- Marine Patrol Unit
- Underwater Search & Recovery Unit
- Crime Scene Technician Unit
- Crash Investigation Unit
- Fire & Arson Investigation Unit
- Unmanned Aerial Systems Unit
- Polygraph Examination Unit
- School Resource Officer Unit
- Community Resource Unit
Various other units and interagency task forces are created when needed.
The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office has investigators and detectives assigned to various state and federal task forces including the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force, Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Homeland Security Task Force.
In addition to being closer to home, Sheriff Imperati says the salary and benefits package makes working for the sheriff’s office worthwhile. It offers a top salary of $88,980 after six years, a shift differential of five percent for working the 4 p.m. – 12 a.m. shift and 10 percent extra for working the 12 a.m. – 8 a.m. shift along with 10 paid holidays, paid vacation days, personal days and sick days.
Employees also get an additional longevity pay after 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service along with medical, dental, optical and life insurance. College tuition reimbursement, promotions, and a 25-year New York State retirement plan and deferred compensation plan are also available to qualified employees.
Persons interested in applying or learning more about the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office can email DCSO Training Bureau Sgt Alonzo Montanya or visit the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office located at 108 Parker Avenue in the City of Poughkeepsie.
