Rockland law enforcement is seeing more leadership changes at several police departments, potentially offering fresh approaches to protecting residents and combating crime.
New police chiefs have recently taken the reins in Haverstraw, Stony Point, and Ramapo. Their promotions followed leadership changes in Suffern, Orangetown, Clarkstown, Piermont and Spring Valley during the past five years.
Rockland has nine police forces, including the county Sheriff's Office. The Rockland District Attorney's Office also has investigative units.
While police focus on preventing and investigating violent crimes, departments increasingly contend with more complicated crimes like fraud, Internet scams, and computer crimes. That often requires cooperation among departments and sharing resources.
Stony Point's Becker looks to technology
Stony Point Chief Greg Becker, who recently took the helm with Chief Ed Finn's retirement, said law enforcement must keep up with the changing nature of crime. One of his initiatives is to continue to assign officers to countywide special units, such as those investigate crime trends, narcotics, mob or gang activities and computer crimes.
"Our department recently assigned a detective and police officer on a part-time basis to the Sheriff’s R.C. Intelligence Center, which is a task force that combines resources from multiple agencies to tackle sophisticated and complex crimes," Becker said. "This allows officers to gain specialized skills and knowledge that they can bring back to their regular assignment, enhancing overall department capability."
Like the other Rockland police chiefs, Becker said his plans include training officers on the latest tactics, technologies, and legal aspects related to sophisticated crimes.
Becker said the department is receiving a $142,500 technology grant through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
"My goal is to look into purchasing modern technology and equipment that are essential in combating sophisticated crimes," Becker said.
Meeting the need to stay abreast of new-age crime, the Rockland District Attorney's Office has a canine unit trained to locate electronic devices such as laptops, cellphones, SD cards, and USB drives that could contain explicit and illegal content like child pornography. The office joined Internet Crimes Against Children, a national network of over 5,000 law enforcement agencies, in 2020.
There are about 100 electronic detection K9s across the United States. The Rockland unit comprises black lab Remy and Detective Tim Hayes, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and a 10-year NYPD detective.
Ramapo's Hyman focused on relationships with youth
No department has unlimited resources, Ramapo Police Chief Daniel Hyman said. He took over on June 15 from Chief Martin Reilly. He has been a police officer since joining the NYPD in 1987 and moved on to Ramapo in 1989.
"We must operate with smart and strategic approaches," Hyman said. "I want to maintain the programs we already provide, but also figure out how we can build upon them to better serve our community."
Hyman, who grew up in Ramapo, estimated about 40% of the town's population is under the age of 18. He said the department will enhance its programs involving officers working with young people.
Hyman said Ramapo takes a regional view by assigning detectives to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and Safe Streets Task Force. But partnering with the community is also a crime-fighting tool, he said.
"We will continue to focus on programs like SRO, DARE, Adopt-a-Cop, the Ramapo Police Youth Academy, our Summer Intern Program, and other services that are designed to foster positive relationships between our police and youth," he said.
"Our ultimate goal is always public safety and there are numerous paths to achieve that objective," Hyman said. "Our effectiveness hinges on these collaborations. It is a priority to understand and meet our community’s expectations."
Haverstraw's Gould say his family reminds some of Blue Bloods
Haverstraw Police Chief John Gould Jr., who succeeded Peter Murphy, plans to continue the department's focus on serving a diverse community. He comes from a law enforcement family and was raised in town. His father, former Councilman John Gould, worked as a police officer and detective for Haverstraw before taking charge of the Sheriff's Office Computer Crimes Task Force. The younger Gould's grandfather was a Clarkstown police detective.
"I always knew I wanted to be a police officer," Gould said. "People always joke around and say the show Blue Bloods (starring Tom Selleck) could have been written about our family."
Gould, 41, started working for the Haverstraw Police Department in high school as a part-time clerk. He then took criminal justice courses at Marist College. His first officer's job was at age 20 with the Mount Vernon Police Department. He joined the Haverstraw department a few years later and has worked his way up the ranks.
"We will continue to embed ourselves in the community, to take part in community events, give back to the community that has given so much to us," Gould said during his promotion ceremony.
"We will be aggressive against crime," he said. "We are not going to sit back and wait for problems to arise. We will be proactive and do our best to prevent crimes before they happen. We will not let a small percentage of the population spoil what a great community this is."
Suffern Police Chief Andrew Loughlin, who got the job in September 2020, said being a police is rewarding but being chief has multiple responsibilities to the department and public. He worked for the Tuxedo and Monroe departments. He also worked for the Orange County Sheriff's Office as an investigator with the narcotics unit before getting hired by Suffern in 2008.
Loughlin, the president of the Rockland Police Chiefs Association, said the chiefs should prepare their departments for the future and provide professional service to the public.
"Being the chief of police has been an extremely rewarding experience, but can also be a stressful experience," Loughlin said. "A piece of advice I can give to a new police chief is to leave the agency better than how you received it. Invest in your people. Train them, mentor them, listen to their advice, and be open to feedback from your members. No Chief will be there forever.."
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal
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