History
In March of
1910, at the annual village elections, the citizens of Sandy
Hill voted to change the name of the community to the
Village of Hudson Falls. The change came approximately one
hundred years after the Village of Sandy Hill had been
incorporated by the State of New York.
Recently elected
officials presided at this meeting and included George E.
Devine, president, (the title was later changed to mayor)
Trustees William L. Potvin, William H. Newton, William J.
Dempsy and Thomas E. Burke. Appointed board officials were
Frank Cole, village treasurer and William H. Donalson,
village clerk. At the time of this meeting, there was no
village attorney appointed. At the meeting, the village
board made their first employee appointments.
It is believed that
the Hudson Falls Police Department was formed
around 1902, however officially the department can date
itself to April 4, 1910. The first Chief of Police was J.B.
Toole. Chief Toole earned a salary of $800 per year. Chief
Toole is the grandfather of the late Judge William J. Toole
Jr. who had previously retired from the force as a patrol
sergeant before becoming the Village justice.
Also in 1910, two full
time men were appointed along with Chief Toole. George
Harding and George Mayotte and both were paid $600 per year.
The next Chief of
Police was Edward H. “Mike” Usher who was the first Chief
hired from the civil service list.
Chief Usher (far right)
with Juckett Park in background
The
department was still relatively small compared to today’s
standards.
In August of 1960 Chief Rudy
Stautner was appointed to replace Chief Usher who was
retiring. Chief Stautner had been with the department since
1950 and took over a force of about four or five men with
one car and no radio communications. Communications were
conducted utilizing call boxes which had red lights. When
the red light was lit, the officer would contact the station
from the call box to get the information needed.
Chief Rudy Stautner
The Police Department,
Village Court and Village Hall can be seen in this
1962 photograph. (see below) The location is the same today
however the building seen here is no longer standing. The
Hudson Falls Library can be seen on the left.
Shown
below is another view of the old Police Department. The
large tree on the far left still stands today and the
Village decorates it every year at Christmas time.
Shown
below is a view of the businesses in and around the park. It
is believed to have been taken in the late 1900's era.
In November of 1985 Chief
James Clary was appointed as provisional Police Chief to
replace Chief Stautner who was retiring. Chief Clary joined
the department in 1970 and by 1972 was promoted to the rank
of sergeant. Chief Clary became the department's first
detective in 1979. In 1984 he was promoted to Deputy Chief
and became the permanent Chief of Police in June of 1986
following a civil service exam. Chief Clary served as
President of the Northeastern Chief of Police Conference
from 1995-1996 as well as the President of the New York
State Association of Chiefs of Police for the year 1998.
In 1994 the Hudson Falls Police Department became the 43rd
department in New York State to become accredited. In order
to earn the certificate, the department had to rewrite its
policies and regulations so that they equaled or exceeded
the 169 stringent standards of the New York State Law
Enforcement Accreditation Council which is made up of law
enforcement officials. The department has maintained
the standards needed and remains an accredited agency
today.
The current Police Department is located downstairs at 218
Main Street in the Village of Hudson Falls. This building
also houses Village Hall, Village Code Enforcement, the
Village Courtroom and is also connected to the Hudson Falls
Fire Department.
There are currently fourteen full time police officers, four
full time dispatchers and five part time employees in the
Hudson Falls Police Department and all employees are
expected to maintain a high level of professionalism. The
department administration has been vigilant in their actions
of upgrading and improving officer’s equipment and
knowledge. To meet accreditation standards, all officers are
required to attend a predetermined amount of hours for the
purpose of training and education. All officers are equipped
with .40 caliber Glock side- arms and has
upgraded from the standard issue shotguns to
Colt AR-15 A-3 assault
rifles. This is a .223 caliber high powered rifle which is
highly accurate and can be used effectively at a much
greater distance.
The technology of Law Enforcement and security has reached
new levels as the Hudson Falls Police Department now has
eight computer terminals which are integrated with the
Hudson Falls School system. It is also believed that the
Hudson Falls Police Department is one of the only
departments in New York State which has access to cameras
which are located throughout the various Hudson Falls
Schools as well as across the school properties. These
cameras can be viewed on a monitor which is located at the
departments communication center. The cameras digitally
record activity which are saved and can be reviewed at any
time.
Welcome to the Official Website of the
Hudson Falls (NY) Police Department
