A former Kingston cop who resigned from the force following a drunken driving conviction is in trouble again, accused of flashing a police badge to avoid a traffic ticket. Nicholas P. Kozak, 37, of Saugerties is charged with felony first-degree criminal impersonation of a police officer.
According to Saugerties police, the incident occurred on Feb. 15 at the Sunoco station at 131 Ulster Avenue when an officer ticketed Kozak for a traffic infraction. Kozak reportedly identified himself as a Kingston police officer and showed the Saugerties cop a KPD badge after a Saugerties police supervisor was called to the scene when Kozak reportedly became “irritated” with the officer who wrote the summons.
According to police, further investigation revealed that Kozak was not employed by the KPD and was not entitled to carry the badge. The badge was confiscated and, on Feb. 21, Kozak was arrested and charged with the felony. Kozak was processed at Saugerties police headquarters and released with an appearance ticket for Saugerties Village Court.
Kozak joined the Kingston Police Department in 2008. According to Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti, he resigned from the department effective Sept. 30, 2016. His resignation came one month after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving count. The charge stemmed from a March 2016 rollover accident on Lucas Avenue. Kozak was initially charged with felony possession of stolen property, because he was allegedly not authorized to use the car he was driving at the time of the crash and violation leaving the scene of an accident. Those charges were later dropped.
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