County Lawmakers' Effort to Call Clarkstown Out over Suspended Police Chief Fails

Rockland lawmakers trying to censure Clarkstown officials failed Tuesday when their resolution pushing for the suspended police chief's reinstatement didn't get traction, The Journal News reported.

The resolution was from County Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe; Ilan Schoenberger, D-Wesley Hills; and Harriet Cornell, D-West Nyack, according to TJN. Voting against considering it were: Chris Carey, R-Bardonia; Laurie Santulli, R-Congers; Lon Hofstein, R-New City; Douglas Jobson, R-Stony Point; Vincent Tyer, R-Pearl River; and Charles J. Falciglia, R-Suffern. Patrick Moroney, R-Pearl River, was absent.

The resolution will now be sent to committee.

The suspension of Police Chief Michael Sullivan had to do in part with his refusal to immediately remove Sgt. Stephen Cole-Hatchard from his role as director of the Rockland County Strategic Intelligence Unit. It also has to do with two former officers — one who is alleged to have made political contributions to local Republicans that the sergeant was investigating, and one who is fighting with the town over disability pay. And it has to do with comments made on social media by Sullivan and by the town supervisor's chief of staff.

Sullivan, one of the highest paid local employees in New York state, presides over the second highest paid police force in the state, behind only Ramapo's police department.

The lawmakers supporting him said on Friday they wanted the Legislature to call on the Clarkstown Town Board to formally dismiss all charges leveled against him, which they called "specious."

Tuesday night Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann fired back with an open letter that castigated Wolfe and Schoenberger, though not by name.

"We in Clarkstown have witnessed what the leadership of Ramapo can do to a town and we respectfully decline your interference and intrusion," he wrote, saying they had "turned a blind eye" to ongoing corruption in Ramapo and to the failing East Ramapo school district.

SEE:

• Clarkstown Police Sgt. Sues Town Officials: News Report
• Sullivan Denies Charges

A study of the Clarkstown Police Department, commissioned by the Clarkstown administration when it took office in January over objections from the chief, has been delayed. The Journal News reports the consultant said it was taking a long time to get information from the department.

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