Please find and view the most up to date news and information regarding the Town of New Windsor Police Department listed below.
The New Windsor Police Department recently achieved agency re-accreditation through the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. The re-accreditation certification is good through June of 2026. The Police Department has been continuously accredited since 1996. In the first photo, supervisors of the department pose with the newly received NYS Accreditation Certificate. A second photo shows Lt. Daniel J. Valeri, our accreditation manager, receiving the John Kimball O’Neil Certificate of Achievement in recognition of his leadership and dedication to the accreditation program.
What does maintaining NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation mean and why is it important?
The NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation Program provides formal recognition that an agency meets or exceeds general expectations of quality in the field. The program has four principal goals:
In essence, accreditation acknowledges the implementation of policies that are conceptually sound and operationally effective. The cornerstone of the Accreditation Program lies in established standards that contain a clear statement of professional requirements. Agencies participating in the program conduct a thorough analysis of their organization to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet established standards. When an agency adopts policies and procedures that meet the standards, a team of independent professionals conducts an on-site assessment to verify that all applicable standards have been successfully implemented. This process culminates with a decision by the NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation Council that the agency is worthy of accreditation.
The New Windsor Police Department recently became the first and only police agency in Orange County to participate in New York’s Mobile Access Program (MAP) for use on mental health related calls. Funded through the New York State Senate and in cooperation with the New York State Office of Mental Health, this program equips select NY Police Departments and local Mental Health clinicians with iPads to utilize Zoom type teleconference calls for mental healthcare purposes. The program provides another option for Police Officers to have when they require some assistance in evaluating a situation when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. The 3 iPads we received use a HIPAA compliant teleconferencing software for mental health consultations. The primary goal of the MAP program is to increase police access to timely mental health consultations and evaluations which should result in less waiting for a mental health professional to respond to the scene, less transports by the police to the hospital and for better planning for follow-up care of the individual involved. The New Windsor Police Department responded to 298 mental health crisis calls in 2021. Additionally, every sworn-member of the New Windsor Police Department has received special training in how to best manage a situation when an individual is in mental health crisis. Shown in the photo are: Don Kamin, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health & Community Collaboration, Deb Salamone, Project Coordinator for MAP and Sgt. Christopher Sylvester.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE #23-07 Issued on: June 2, 2023
On Thursday, May 11, 2023, the New Windsor Police Department conducted an underage alcohol sale enforcement detail at 26 businesses in town that are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. As part of the detail, underage decoys were sent into the businesses and attempted to purchase alcohol. In all 26 attempts, the sale was denied. The Police Department regularly advises business owners of the seriousness of underage alcohol sales and warns them that enforcement details could be conducted. In 2022, a similar detail resulted in four arrests. Police Chief Dan Valeri commented, “The sale of alcoholic beverages to a minor is one of the most serious violations of the Alcohol Beverage Control Law. We are very pleased to see one hundred percent compliance this time around.”
PRESS RELEASE
Police assist first person into ‘Hope Not Handcuffs’ program for treatment
Release Date – August 12, 2020:
The Town of New Windsor Police Department assisted its first person into the Hope Not Handcuffs program today, just more than a week after the program went live with the department. The person heard about the program and walked into to the Police Department lobby looking for help with his drug addiction. He was soon greeted by Officer Anthony Weed and Officer Brian Levy, who began the first steps in the process with him. As part of the program, the Officers contacted a volunteer ‘angel’ to respond to the police station to complete the process of locating a treatment facility for the individual.
Police Chief Robert Doss stated, “It is my hope that this is just the first of many people who will come to the Police Department for help with their addictions. We all know that there are several people in our community that are battling with addiction related issues every day. I want people to understand that we are here to help and to assist them in any way possible. It is a huge moment in a person’s life when they finally decide that they just can’t live a certain way anymore and they decide to do something about it. This program works but it can only work with community trust in the Police Department. This man trusted us when he had nowhere else to turn and we were able to help him begin his journey to recovery. It is truly a wonderful thing to be able to help people in this way.”
Photo: Officer Brian Levy (L) and Officer Anthony Weed (R) stand near the new Hope Not Handcuffs sign at Police Headquarters
The Hope Not Handcuffs organization works with local law enforcement agencies to provide support. A person struggling with any addiction can voluntarily walk in to a participating Police Department, like in New Windsor, and ask for help. They will be greeted with support, compassion and respect. A trained Angel volunteer will be called to the station to help find treatment. The Hope Not Handcuffs program is a community outreach program designed to reach people struggling with drug addiction to encourage them to seek recovery and regain control of their lives. It is community members taking care of community members.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE #22-03 Issued on: 06/13/22 @12:30 p.m.
On Thursday, June 9, 2022, the New Windsor Police Department conducted an underage alcohol sale enforcement detail at 23 businesses in town that are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. The below businesses and associated employees did sell alcoholic beverages to an underage person during this detail: 1. QuickChek – 170 Windsor Hwy. – Fabrizio A. Rimac, 18 years old of Newburgh, NY. 2. Preet Liquors – 1035 Little Britain Road – Ms. Teresita P. Garcia, 70 years old of New Windsor, NY. 3. Citgo Food Mart – 1069 Little Britain Road – Mr. Lalith S. Udamadura, 56 years old of New Windsor, NY. 4. Wine O’Clock Liquor Store – 436 Blooming Grove Tpk. – Ms. Sanghee Sayed, 64 years old of Newburgh, NY. Each employee was charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child in the First Degree (Penal Law 260.20-2) – a class AMisdemeanor. All four employees were processed and released on an appearance ticket to appear back in Town court on 6/28/2022. The Police Department will also send a written violation notice to the New York State Liquor Authority for each business involved. The businesses will then face a hearing with the New York State Liquor Authority for the violations and a severe penalty can be imposed upon the businesses themselves. Police Chief Robert Doss commented, “The sale of alcoholic beverages to a minor is one of the most serious violations of the Alcohol Beverage Control Law. It should be known that in the weeks prior to conducting this detail, we first visited each of these 23 locations to discuss the seriousness of underage alcohol sales and we warned them that we would be planning enforcement details in the upcoming weeks. These four businesses clearly did not heed our warnings. I can ensure the community that further enforcement efforts will take place in the very near future.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE #23-06 Issued on: May 15, 2023
This year, in honor of Police Week, New Windsor Police Chief Dan Valeri, along with Lieutenant Matt Monahan, Sergeant Hannah Lake, PBA President Frank Volpe and School Safety Officer Hardy Pierce, participated in this year’s Virtual National Police Week Memorial 5K – a race uniting thousands of law enforcement officers and their supporters to remember those officers killed in the line of duty. Chief Valeri ran in honor of Sergeant Vincent Oliva and Officer John Cortazzo of the Port Authority Police Department, both of whom died as a result of illnesses sustained during the rescue and recovery efforts following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Chief Valeri was a classmate of Cortazzo and a student of Oliva when he attended the Port Authority Police Explosive Detection Canine School in 2001. Lt. Monahan ran in honor of NYPD Officer Patrick Monroe who died as a result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Officer Monroe was the uncle of New Windsor Officer Joseph Finnerty. Sgt. Lake dedicated her run to the memory of NYPD Detective Michael Hanson. Det. Hanson died of a neurological illness which was likely attributed to his response to the 9/11 World Trade Center Attack. His family is still awaiting the line of duty death designation. Officer Pierce, who is assigned as the School Safety Officer at the Little Britain Elementary School, ran with school employees Todd Grodin, Marisa Sitko, Lindsey Krause and Jeanna Santagato, who chose to join his team for the event. Together they ran in honor of Officer Breann Leath. Officer Leath was an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer who was shot and killed on April 9, 2020 while responding to a domestic disturbance. In addition to honoring the fallen officers, Chief Valeri created the team to participate in this year’s event to promote wellness and unity within the department. He also ran the 3.1 miles in his department issued bulletproof vest as a reminder to officers that there is no good reason not to wear their body armor. The National Police Week 5K is presented by The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America’s fallen law enforcement heroes. As the largest law enforcement memorial in the United States, ODMP preserves the memories of 26,000+ fallen officers in its online memorial and reflection pages.
[PHOTO CAPTIONS] NWPD team members (left to right) Lt. Monahan, Chief Valeri, Sgt. Lake and PBA President Volpe. Little Britain School team members (left to right) Todd Grodin, Marisa Sitko, Lindsey Krause, Jeanna Santagato and School Safety Officer Hardy Pierce.
Traffic Enforcement Alert: Officers from the NWPD Traffic Safety Unit will be conducting traffic posts this week on Clarkview Road to ensure vehicles are stopping at the three way stop intersection and to watch for anyone speeding. This road has become a residential cut-through for many motorists and we want to remind everyone to obey the traffic laws. If you don’t, you just may meet Officer Bohr on one of our Harley Davidson Police Motorcycles. Drive safe and slow down. It’s for everyone’s safety!