Newburgh police commissioner out; department under sole command of new police chief

Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record
·1 min read

CITY OF NEWBURGH - The city is apparently returning to its long-standing tradition of having its police department under the leadership of a single commander, a police chief.

In a brief statement issued Tuesday morning, City Manager Todd Venning announced that Police Commissioner Jose Gomerez was leaving.

The announcement comes just weeks after 16-year department veteran Brandon Rola was named the new police chief. He replaced Anthony Geraci, who left the chief's job to become director of safety and security for the Newburgh school district.

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"The City of Newburgh and Jose Gomerez have mutually agreed to provide the new police chief a fresh opportunity to move the Police Department into the future," Venning's statement read. "The city recognizes the progress that was made during Mr. Gomerez's tenure as commissioner, and we thank him for his service to our community."

Gomerez and Geraci took their respective jobs with the city police department in August 2021. Before that, the department had been led only by a chief since early in 1980. The only previous commissioners to lead the department in recent times served for about eight years between 1972 and 1980.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Newburgh police commissioner out, chief will lead department alone