On the steps of SUNY New Paltz’s University Police Department (UPD), on March 1 at noon, a ceremony was held to honor Chief Michael Corbisiero as he made his final call to celebrate his retirement. President Darrell P. Wheeler, fellow officers, photographers, reporters, peers, friends, family and co-workers of Chief Corbisiero lined the pathway as he walked out.
A sunny Friday afternoon on the lawn outside of the UPD set the scene for the ceremony. Chief Corbisiero’s sendoff was centered around honoring his career. Officers, Lieutenants, Sheriffs and retired Chiefs saluted him in their respective uniforms. Chief Corbisiero’s family stood at the end of the pathway to unite with him as he completed his walkout. Chief Corbisiero was met with an honorable shadow box filled with memorabilia such as pins and awards he received.
Chief Mary Ritayik was appointed to take on the position as Chief of Police in January 2019, making history as the first woman to hold the title of Chief of Police at SUNY New Paltz. As of 2021, Chief Ritayik was one of two women at the time who held the position as Chief in the SUNY school system. When Chief Ritayik got the opportunity to be the first woman to serve as New York State University Police Commissioner in SUNY history, she took the promotion. Chief Corbisiero was sworn in as Acting Police Chief, a position that he held from July 2021 until he was appointed Chief in January of 2023. This may have been the end of one chapter, but on the same day, the page was turned over to begin the next.
Former Deputy Chief Ryan Williams was appointed Chief of Police on March 1, following Corbisiero’s walkout. In his 22 year-long career at SUNY New Paltz, Chief Williams advanced through each position in the department, including Dispatcher, Officer, Lieutenant, Interim Deputy and most recently Deputy Chief, beginning in 2022. Additionally, Chief Williams is a United States Army veteran who is from New Paltz. Chief Williams’ sidekick, Ellie – a silver labrador and therapy dog in-training – will be standing by his side in this new chapter of Williams’ life.
Kathleen Lieblich, Assistant Vice President of Student Wellbeing, supervises on-campus organizations, including the Disability Resource Center, Psychological Counseling Center, Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards and the Student Health Service. She also serves as the Coordinator for Wellbeing Initiatives and Outreach.
Lieblich said, “While we’re sad to see Chief Corbisiero retire, we wish him well in his retirement and are grateful for his service to New Paltz. That said, we have every confidence in Chief Williams’ ability to step into this role and succeed as leader of UPD. Chief Williams grew up in New Paltz and has held every role, working his way through the ranks of UPD and always showing that he cares deeply about this community.”
Lieblich commented on Chief Williams’ commitment, as he is an “advocate of community policing and demonstrates that every single day on campus. “I hear so often from students that they saw Ellie and got to speak with Chief Williams which made their day. She’ll be great at connecting and enhancing student engagement with UPD.”
The main goal of having Ellie on campus is to help “engage students in a positive way,” and Chief Williams and Ellie have successfully begun to “bridge this gap so law enforcement will be seen as the people we are.”
Chief Williams shared a recent experience where he saw this in action. “I was tabling in the Student Union Building (SUB) with a couple officers and our LGBTQ+ liaison. I could see the difference right away – a few people stopped to ask, ‘are you recruiting?’ Then I bring Ellie out, and she just draws people in,” Chief Williams said.
Chief Williams is accomplishing one of his greatest goals, which is “to open the door to have a mundane conversation – it doesn’t have to be something negative. I hope to continue doing the same – allowing that to continue and grow.”
Chief Williams shared that he documents every single event he and Ellie are invited to. “Much of these are not things I came up with. Someone would reach out to say, ‘I’m from the Center for Student Success, and we’d love a visit during this event that we’re doing.’” There were two books written on Augie– a goose herding border collie – over his 10 year career at New Paltz. Chief Williams was recently asked if he would like to do a book about Ellie.
Chief Williams shared that they are still in the initial phases of Ellie’s book as they navigate plot, print, photography and targeting an audience. The ultimate goal is to at least have a rough draft by summertime. Chief Williams stated that he would like for all proceeds from the book to go toward the student crisis fund.
Chief Williams explained how there are a few different things on his agenda as he steps into power as chief. He is “really hopeful that [he] can get [their] staffing and our departments filled with really great, qualified officers.” Williams continued, saying “ I know what the community expects of an officer. We need to fill those empty lines with quality people. That’s number one for the mental and physical health of the officers here – that’s been a goal and we’re getting pretty close to that.’
When asked how he felt about his promotion, Chief Williams expressed immense gratitude for the student body, faculty and the overall SUNY New Paltz community. “Having the community see you as a part of the team; the benefits of that are immeasurable. It makes the work better for us. It helps us when we’re dealing with the public that they trust us. We’re really pushing out to the max for community outreach and making sure that people are comfortable with their beliefs and see us as part of a team, not opposition.”