City Swears in Six Police Officers, Promotes Four Others

The city swore in six police officers and promoted four other members of the department during a ceremony Wednesday at City Hall.

The Police Department has been working hard to recruit officers and fill vacancies. Current staffing is at 83, and the department has been capitalizing on changes in civil service law to recruit sworn police officers throughout the state. Due to a recent change in civil service law, the Police Department has more latitude to hire transfer applicants who are currently employed by the New York City Police Department and various state agencies. Four of the new officers are transfers from the NYPD, one is a transfer from a local police department and one is a recent graduate of the Ulster County Law Enforcement Training Group Academy.

The new police officers are Emily Aldrich, Kristian Fernandez, Wilfredo Medina, Yesmelin Reyes, Kevin Russo and Michael Vespe.

In addition, Lt. Sean McCarthy was promoted to Detective Lieutenant; Sgt. Edwin Acken was promoted to Lieutenant; Police Officer Jerel Yizar was promoted to Sergeant; and Police Officer Joseph Whalen was promoted to Detective.

"I applaud the Police Department's efforts to address what has become a national challenge -- the difficulty so many municipalities are having in recruiting qualified candidates for their Police Departments," said Mayor Yvonne Flowers. "The city is committed to hiring the best officers we can find, and we appreciate their choice to be part of our community. I also want to congratulate the members of the department who were promoted today. They have worked hard to get to this point, and the city appreciates their dedication and service."

Interim Police Chief Richard Wilson said, "We welcome these new officers and are grateful we can find such qualified personnel to bolster our ranks. The department continues to do outreach, especially to attract transfers, and our hard work is paying dividends. It's noteworthy these officers are choosing Poughkeepsie over other places, and we look forward to working with them to serve and protect the people of this city."

City officials also noted that the Dutchess County Department of Human Resources has announced that there will be an entrance exam for Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff on Sept. 28. All interested parties must apply in person or online by Aug. 9. Visit the link below to apply online here.