Our current officers are a mixture of full and part-time professionals. All officers have been certified as police officers through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Although Dutchess County Civil Service does not require police officers to be college educated, the majority of the current Red Hook police officers do have a college education up to and including graduate degrees. Leadership and supervision is provided by a part-time Chief of Police, and a full-time Police Sergeant who are responsible to oversee the public service mission of the department.

All officers additionally participate in a variety of operational training sessions throughout each year in order to maintain a high degree of professional knowledge and skills above that required by New York State.

We recognize that it is a waste of valuable community resources to simply react to incidents after they have occurred and measure effectiveness based on response statistics. We pride ourselves in providing effective, proactive services focused on prevention strategies that maximize sacred community resources.

Toward these ends, we are guided by our Department Vision and Mission Statements and focused goals developed to meet our organizational mission.

The Red Hook Police Department strives to provide professional law enforcement services to all persons within our community. We operate under the principle that the actions or inactions of all employees either directly or indirectly affect the quality of police services provided to the community, and the public’s perception of our efforts. Throughout the course of a day, opportunities for quality interaction between the public and members of this agency occur. Employees are expected to interact with the public in a professional, respectful, and productive manner.

The mission of the Red Hook Police Department is to maintain social order and provide professional law enforcement services to citizens in our community, within prescribed ethical, budgetary, and constitutional constraints. This agency strives to enforce the law and maintain order in a fair and impartial manner, recognizing the need for justice, and consistent appearance of justice. All employees of the Red Hook Police Department recognize that no law enforcement agency can operate at its maximum potential without supportive input from the citizens it serves. This agency actively solicits and encourages the cooperation of all citizens to reduce and limit the opportunities for crime and to assist in bringing to justice those that break the law.

The following goals have been established to accomplish the mission within the budgetary and manpower constraints imposed on the agency:

1. Protect Life and Property: To provide services that contributes to the preservation of life, the protection of property, and the safety of the community.
2. Maintain Public Order: To maintain peace and public order by assisting during times of natural or technological disasters and/or other critical incidents or disturbances. To provide for the safe and effective flow of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic and the investigation of traffic related accidents. To enforce established local codes providing for quality of life experiences for all members of our community.
3. Prevent, Detect, and Investigate Criminal Activity: To prevent crime through active and coordinated patrols that limit the opportunity for a crime to occur, and through education of citizens that reduces the likelihood of them becoming victims of crime. To provide a through, appropriate, and efficient investigation of criminal activity.
4. Apprehension of Offenders: To provide for the expeditious and prudent apprehension of suspected violators of the law and the effective preparation and presentation of legal process necessary to achieve successful adjudication.
5. Community Service: To provide the resources necessary for assisting citizens under special non-criminal circumstances.
6. Compliance with Professional and Ethical Standards: To ensure integrity and adherence to professional standards of the agency by investigating all complaints against agency personnel. To provide for training needs of officers and promote a high rate of proficiency and professionalism in the officers of the agency.