REMOTE SUPPORT
Please find and view the most up to date news and information regarding the Town of New Windsor Police Department listed below.
New Windsor Police Chief Robert L. Doss recently hosted several members of the town’s Community Advisory Panel at a training session at the Police Department’s firearms range. The panel was established April 1, 2021 as a result of New York State’s Police Reform and Reinvention process. Part of the mission of the Community Advisory Panel is to plan, attend and participate in certain police trainings to make recommendations to the Police Department on how to better serve and engage the community. This training session focused around officers receiving reality-based situational training and de-escalation techniques. The officers also received use of force training along with pistol proficiency and qualification training. Chief Robert Doss commented, “The experience of having the Community Advisory Panel members at the range and interacting with our officers was such a great thing to see. This is just a first step of many that I have planned to bring the Police Department closer with the community that we serve. It is so important for people to see how we train and understand why we train the way that we do. The panel’s involvement will become a great way to ensure we are meeting the communities needs and expectations.”
PRESS RELEASE
New Windsor P.D. Receives Implicit-Bias Awareness Training
Release Date – August 25, 2020:
The Town of New Windsor Police Department recently completed a training in the specialized area of implicit-bias awareness. This recently updated and state-of-the-art training, known as Fair and Impartial Policing was taught to all 50 sworn-members of the Police Department by an instructor from the nation’s #1 provider of this type of training. This very sought after training is currently being taught to police agencies of all types and sizes around the country, including many major cities.
The training aims to educate Officers about how implicit biases can have negative consequences on an Officer’s perceptions and behavior as they do their job. This specific training curriculum is unique because it takes a science based approach to train Officers in the use of new skills that they can use to reduce and manage any biases that they may have. These same skills have been shown to promote working in a more safe, just and effective manner.
Police Chief Robert Doss stated, “This training continues our ongoing commitment to serve the community in a courteous, impartial and fair way. There is simply no place for prejudice or discrimination in police work. While we already have written policies in place that directly reflect these fundamental principles, this training really took a hands-on approach to reinforce to us how some implicit biases can negatively impact even the most well-intentioned Officer’s actions. I am hopeful that this training helps build upon the exceptional level of trust that our community has graciously bestowed upon us over the years.”
Photo: A group of Police Officers participate in the Fair and Impartial Policing training while practicing safe COVID-19 protocols.
This is a joint press release by the New Windsor Police Dept. and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office Release Date – September 23, 2020: The Town of New Windsor Police Department arrested a man today following an ongoing investigation into a hit and run motor vehicle crash. The crash involved multiple parked cars in a parking lot off of State Route 300 in New Windsor and no one was injured in the crash. Immediately after receiving a report of the crash, New Windsor police officers located the motor vehicle that caused the accident and its operator several miles away after it had fled the scene. As part of their investigation, the officers found the vehicle’s operator to be in possession of substances that they believed to be illegal drugs. The vehicle operator identified himself as a police officer and he stated that he was in possession of the substances in his official capacity as a police officer. Further investigation determined that the driver did not legally possess the substances as part of his police authority and lab confirmation determined that the substances involved were in fact a quantity of cocaine and a hallucinogenic drug known as MDMA. Arrested was: Carlos Mendez, age 41 of Middletown, NY. Mr. Mendez is employed by the City of Newburgh Police Department as a Police Officer. He was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 4th degree (D-class felony), Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree (A-class misdemeanor), official misconduct (A-class misdemeanor) and leaving the scene of a property damage motor vehicle accident (traffic infraction). He was arraigned before Town Justice Noreen Calderin and released as required by state law with no bail and a mandatory appearance ticket to appear in town court on October 13, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. for further court action. New Windsor Police Chief Robert Doss stated, “Every police officer takes an oath of office when they are appointed to their position and when that oath is violated, it falls upon other police officers to hold the line and do what is right. That is exactly what happened in this case. No one is above the law, especially police officers. I commend the New Windsor police officers that investigated this complaint to its fullest extent and I would expect nothing less from them.” Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler stated, “I thank the Town of New Windsor Police Department for their professionalism and diligence on this case. It is always disappointing when there is an allegation that a police officer has engaged in criminal conduct, and even more so when it is alleged that an officer has used his badge to attempt to hide from his crimes. No one is above the law. Thankfully, instances of police officers committing the types crimes alleged here are rare, particularly here in Orange County, where the vast majority of our police officers behave honorably and legally in risking their lives every day to keep our residents and property safe. When allegations of criminal police misconduct are made, they must be diligently investigated and acted upon.”
The New Windsor Police Department will not be releasing the booking photograph in this case due to it being prohibited under New York Public Officers Law, Section 89, which was amended in mid-2019 to prohibit the release of booking photographs due to it being an “unwarranted invasion of personal privacy”. A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
(June 21,2021 - Goshen, New York) New Windsor Police Chief Robert L. Doss was part of a press conference held by Orange County District Attorney Dave Hoovler and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to announce the arrest and guilty pleas of three individuals on felony charges in relation to the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) case. These individuals, as part of their pleas, will pay back the IDA $1.265 million dollars. This was a result of an investigation that began in New Windsor and was conducted collaboratively by New Windsor PD, the NYS Comptroller’s Office and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
See the below links for further details from the press conference.
https://www.orangecountygov.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1273
https://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/2021/06/new-york-state-comptroller-dinapoli-statement-former-orange-county-ida-officials-guilty-plea?utm_source=comptroller%20message&utm_medium=state&utm_campaign=new%20york&utm_term=crime&utm_content=20210621
Photo 1: Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli speaks as officials look on. Photo 2: New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli poses for a photo with Chief Doss and Detective Sergeant Christopher Sager. Photo 3: A presentation board with some of the findings of the investigation.
On December 15, 2020, members of the New Windsor Police Department in partnership with the Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team, participated in the ‘Start by Believing Campaign’ by signing pledges to ‘start by believing’ anyone who tells them that they were raped or sexually assaulted. The New Windsor Police Department has long been a partner with the Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team. Members of the Police Department have received special training to investigate sexual crimes and continue to take any reports of these types of crimes very seriously.
If you need to report a sexual assault please contact the Police Department at (845)565-7000.
If you or someone you love is a survivor of sexual violence in need of support, contact Orange County Rape Crisis Team 24/7 by calling 311.
On March 26, 2021, police detectives from the Town of New Windsor & City of Newburgh Police Departments, along with members of the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, Orange County Sheriff’s Office – Special Operations Group and Federal Probation Officers executed a court authorized search warrant at 80 Continental Drive in the Town of New Windsor. This search warrant was the result of a several month long investigation into the illegal possession of narcotics by an individual residing at the residence.
This search resulted in the seizure of over 500 grams of fentanyl, 125 grams of crack / cocaine and approximately $50,000 in U.S. Currency.
Wilfredo S. Gonzalez Jr., age 41 of New Windsor, was arrested and charged federally with drug possession violations, as well as violation of the terms and conditions of his Federal Probation. He was transported to the Hudson Valley Office of the FBI and is awaiting presentation to the Southern District Court in White Plains later today. He faces a minimum of 10-years in a federal penitentiary if convicted.
New Windsor Police Chief Robert L. Doss stated, “I want to thank our federal, county and municipal law enforcement partners for their assistance in this case. I want to make it clear to the New Windsor community that we are fully committed to aggressively pursuing dangerous drug dealers like Mr. Gonzalez, who chose to supply dangerous drugs like fentanyl to people in our town."
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.