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Department Chief Joe Sinagra said that when now-Officer Dion Johnson interviewed for the position in January, he was the “shining star” amongst 30 candidates.
“Two weeks ago I pulled a guy over, I gave him a ticket and he was not mad at all,” said Johnson of his experience thus far. “He said ‘I’ve lived in Saugerties for over 20 years, you’re the first black cop I’ve ever seen — I’m proud to see an African American in the police force here in Saugerties.
"A lot of it is ‘Saugerties on the rise, they hired an African American police officer.’ It’s good to know the community supports that an African American is being hired as a police officer, they’re looking at it as ‘Saugerties is changing.’ ”
Ten days after he transferred from the Albany Police Department, Johnson helped cordon off village streets to accommodate hundreds of peaceful protesters in Saugerties’ “Walk 4 Black Lives”—the experience, he said, was moving.
“Until the protest, coming in, I was a little nervous,” said Johnson of the experience. “I was the first African American police officer in this town, I was trying to see how everyone would adjust to me, not how I would adjust to them.
"Saugerties is predominantly a white-American area. To see that a lot of those people were very, very, very supportive and active and peaceful about their movement for Black Lives Matter was an eye-opener, to say the least.”
Before joining the Albany Police Department, Johnson served with the Army National Guard for five years; the Newburgh native sought to transfer to a community closer to home after learning that his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child.
“It’s important that the department reflects the makeup of the community,” said Sinagra of the hire. “It hasn’t been for a lack of trying — it’s very difficult to recruit minorities. It just seems that there aren’t many taking the test, particularly black males. That makes it difficult.”
Johnson is one of just non-white police officers, the other being Sergeant Jorge Castagnola.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just over 91 percent of Saugerties residents are Caucasian; only 0.96 percent are African American.
This is not the first step the Saugerties Police Department has taken toward a community-oriented policing strategy and more diverse makeup. Since hiring Courtney Louscher in 2012 as the department’s first female detective, three additional women have joined the force.
Last year, the department underwent its first LGBTQ training through the Department of Criminal Justice Services, and next month two officers will learn to teach diversity training to their fellow officers through another DCJS course.
“When I have to speak in front of kids or more specifically speak to African-American kids who want to become cops, I tell them ‘if this is what you want to do, do it,” said Johnson. “’ True friends will support what you do, and this is how you know what true friends are.
"If your friends tell you don’t be a cop, you’ll be a sellout and we won't hang out with you anymore, those aren’t your friends. If you want to do something positive, being a police officer, and your friends see that as a bad thing, you need those people out of your life.’”
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