REMOTE SUPPORT
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 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.
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.
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.
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 August 2, 2022 New York State Senator James Skoufis held a press conference in the Town of New Windsor to announce funding for select area police agencies to be used towards National Night Out events. The Town of New Windsor Police Department received $6,250. of this funding. Thank you Senator Skoukis!
Pictured are (L-R): Lt. Robert McLymore (Wallkill PD), Chief John Rader (Warwick PD), Chief Robert Doss, Supervisor George Meyers, Senator James Skoufis, Chief Paul Ricard (Mount Hope PD), and Lt Jeffrey Thoelen (Middletown PD).
(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 February 8, 2021, Police Officer Christopher D. Deets retired from the Town police force. Officer Deets was recognized with a Service Achievement Award by Town Supervisor George J. Meyers III and Police Chief Robert L. Doss at a walk out ceremony. Supervisor Meyers stated, “Officer Deets is leaving the Police Department in a better place than when he found it and anytime you can say that, it means the officer did a good job. I wish the best for Officer Deets and his family”. Chief Doss stated, “Officer Deets has been awarded for saving 4 lives over the course of his career here. I think that says it all about his hard work and dedication to serving the community. I commend him for his service to the Town and we will miss him.” Also, on hand for the ceremony was Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Orange County Commissioner of Emergency Service Brendan Casey who recognized Officer Deets for his military service with the U.S. Army and his police service to the County.