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City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers announced Tuesday, May 21, that Police Chief Tom Pape is retiring, effective Friday, May 24.
The mayor also announced that Rich Wilson, who has served with the Police Department for over three decades, has been named Interim Police Chief.
“I want to thank Chief Pape for his unyielding service and steady handling of the Police Department for these many years," Flowers said. "Chief Pape epitomizes the best in police professionalism and has served this city with great distinction."
Pape attended Dutchess Community College and SUNY College of Technology at Utica before beginning his rise in the department as a patrol officer in 1983.
He served in the Detective Bureau and continued in various capacities as a commanding officer before being named chief by then-Mayor Rob Rolison in January 2016.
Under Pape’s leadership, the department has made significant investments in body cameras to provide more transparency about how officers operate in the field and the situations to which they respond, said John Penney, the city's community engagement director.
The department also enhanced its complaint process by improving accessibility and developing a new, easy-to-use online reporting tool.
In addition, the department has completed procedural justice training, which focuses on the way police interact with the public, and it established the Procedural Justice Committee, which includes police officers, other city officials, and community members.
With the assistance of the Command Staff, Pape has developed new policies and is currently taking the necessary steps to have the department recognized as accredited by the state.
“It’s been my privilege to serve the city over these decades, and it was particularly an honor to serve as police chief these last eight years," Pape said. "I am proud of the work, the civic duty, the department has carried out -- and continues to carry out on a day-to-day basis. Our officers greatly care about this community, and that shows throughout every shift aimed at keeping the city safe."
Flowers said she would soon begin the search to fill the Police Chief position and is also awaiting the results of an administered police chief test.
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