POUGHKEEPSIE – The City of Poughkeepsie police department has 14 vacancies for officers requiring the remaining officers to work extra hours to keep the city safe, according to the PBA. Union President Kevin Van Wagner says the city’s common council is not taking steps to prevent more officers from leaving. He also says the council is not addressing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that was negotiated with the city and provided to the council in the summer of 2023.
The department is supposed to have 96 sworn officers according to the PBA contract. The vacancies bring the number down to 82. Sick leave, military leave and other officers out on various leaves, there are only 77 sworn officers available for work as of March 2024.
In 2023, there were 33 instances of officers being mandated to work a double shift, meaning 16 hours straight. As of March, there have already been eight instances of officers being forced to work eight more hours after finishing their first, scheduled shift. “When officers are forced to work double shifts it’s mentally draining,” Van Wagner told the mayor and the council. “It affects their mindset which could affect their judgment, which is not good for the police officers or the public who relies on them,” he said.
According to Van Wagner, the negotiated MOA has initiatives to attract new officers and retain some of the 24 members of the force who are eligible to retire immediately. “This would benefit the city by encouraging some of the senior officers to stay on the force to train the less-experienced officers on various roles within the department,” Van Wagner told Mid-Hudson News. The PBA recently sent a letter to the council that relayed the same message in hopes of getting the council to address an issue that has a direct impact on Poughkeepsie.
“We are police officers, mental health counselors, social workers, teachers, and more,” Van Wagner said. “We are the general public’s first…
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