Mayor Brian Pugh, the Croton Village Board and Police Chief Russel Harper share a vision of a modern police force that proactively partners with local citizens to identify and solve problems. We believe that in our small, welcoming village such a community policing strategy will build security, trust and caring.

When a police department is trusted by its community, the job works like it should. But trust can be a very hard thing for police to earn—especially since officers tend to appear in a citizen’s life when something has gone wrong. Police agencies that are diverse are simply more likely to build trust because they reflect the community and include officers of many backgrounds and experiences – and officers learn different perspectives from each other.

This week Croton took a couple of important new steps.  Congratulations to new Officer Debra Rodriguez, who graduated from training at the Rockland County Police Academy – she will be on patrol soon.  And congratulations to Nicholas Ditomasso, who we hired to fill the position of Police Officer (Spanish Speaking). We designated an existing, open position to require proficiency in Spanish and English. Mr. Ditomasso will be the first to fill that position.

Richard Olver

Trustee, Village of Croton on Hudson