WAPPINGERS FALLS – After 17 days of turmoil between the Wappingers Falls Village Board and the police department, a former police commissioner was appointed to the job he held before. At Wednesday night’s meeting, Mayor Kevin Huber and the board of trustees rehired Carl Calabrese as police commissioner. The re-hiring has angered many of the police officers who are familiar with Calabrese.
Calabrese had served as commissioner from 2009 to 2020. Before resigning from his commission, Calabrese demoted himself to a newly created lieutenant position that he appointed himself to just before leaving his commissioner role. The village replaced Calabrese with Commissioner Walter Burke. Burke served from 2020 to 2021 when he was fired by then-Mayor Rick Cerino for failing to perform his duties. Burke was replaced by Charles Ferry, who served from 2021-2022, resigning for health reasons.
Following the resignation of Ferry, then-Mayor Cerino rehired Burke, whom he had fired the year before. Burke, a retired administrative officer with the Larchmont Police Department, earned $45,000 for the part-time Wappingers Falls job and served until 2023, when the most recent commissioner, Paul Italiano was hired. Italiano’s resignation was encouraged by Mayor Kevin Huber before the April 1, 2024, reorganizational meeting.
Italiano’s resignation brought several of his officers to the board meeting, in a show of support. Trustee Jeff Smith indicated that he was disturbed by the number of officers in the room, saying they looked like a “lynch mob“.
On April 10, Mayor Huber announced that former Wappingers Falls Police Officer Mark Liebermann was being appointed commissioner. During that meeting, the PBA attorney pointed out some “issues” with the appointment and the board went to executive session. When they returned, they announced that Liebermann’s appointment was being rescinded and they put Italiano back as commissioner until Wednesday’s meeting.
Between the April 10 and April 17 meetings, Liebermann withdrew his name from consideration paving the way for Calabrese to be re-appointed at a salary of $35,000 per year for the part-time work.
After Calabrese was appointed on Wednesday, three Wappingers Falls police officers resigned while hinting that more would follow. Retired NYPD Detective David Wenzel was one of the cops who resigned. Citing Trustee Smith’s unchecked “anti-police sentiment” and the “appointment of a police commissioner known for creating a hostile work environment (Calabrese)”, Wenzel resigned effective Wednesday night. “I cannot continue to risk my safety in and for a village board that does not support its officers and in fact, seems to have nothing but disdain for us,” he told the board and the capacity crowd at the meeting.
Officers John Wilson and Marty Finneran followed in submitting their resignations. Taking into account officers who are out on injury or maternity leave, the department currently has four full-time and nine part-time officers working in the village.
