Brianne Quigley was promoted to sergeant of the New Paltz Police Department on Thursday, Feb. 20, making her the first woman to ever hold the position. This historic appointment comes after several significant changes were made to the personnel lineup of the police force.
Quigley, who was formerly a patrol officer for the New Paltz Police Department, was one of four candidates to apply for the patrol sergeant opening.
She was given her new sergeant shield by Police Chief Joseph Snyder at a meeting of the New Paltz Police Commission, which led into a Town Board meeting.
“I’m happy to promote her to the position,” Snyder said to Hudson Valley One. “Although she’s the first female to hold the rank of sergeant in our police force, she’s very qualified. She’ll be a great example for other females in our department, as well as other females in law enforcement in general.”
This promotion is not the only change that the police line-up will see this year. Chief Snyder is scheduled to retire after his 32 years with the New Paltz Police this April and be replaced by Robert Lucchesi, a current lieutenant on the force.
Some other changes occurring within the New Paltz Police Department are with Dave Dugatkin. Dugatkin resigned from his position as the chief of the SUNY New Paltz police force in 2018 due to unstated and unknown circumstances. He’s now been hired as a part-time police officer.
According to Hudson Valley One, “The decision to reappoint Dugatkin, who held the rank of detective sergeant with the New Paltz Police Department before his SUNY law enforcement career began, was made unanimously and with no discussion by the three Police Commission members present: Neil Bettez, Dan Torres and Alex Baer. Chief Snyder’s comments on the decision were brief, noting only that Dugatkin was ‘an asset when he worked for us in the past.’”
A few other positions were also moved around. Matthew Sutton, a patrol sergeant who serves as night supervisor, transferred over to become a detective sergeant. Zachary Mitchell, a part-time member of the force for two years, and Jerome Milton, a part time member for a little over six months, both got promoted to full-time positions. The Town Board also accepted officer Michal Rizzo’s resignation.
Women on the New Paltz campus are happy to hear about Quigley’s promotion.
“I think this is a really great thing to see,” said fourth-year communication disorders major Jade Burdman. “It is important to have representation in all facets of our society, and this is a step in the right direction. A long overdue one, but a good one nonetheless.”
