The Saugerties Police Department hired three new employees this week to fill vacancies in their ranks, effective April 23. Among the new recruits are a college professor, a transplant from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department and a 19-year-old girl straight out of high school.
Officer Janay Gasparini was taken on as a reserve officer, utilized at peak policing times on a volunteer basis. Once a full-time officer in Poughkeepsie, Gasparini is currently working toward a Ph.D. in criminal justice at Walden University in Minneapolis, Minn. She acts as the department head for the SUNY New Paltz Criminal Justice Program, is a certified instructor with the Department of Criminal Justice Services and received the 2017 SUNY Delhi distinguished alumni award.
A full-time employee, Officer Daniel Farcher, was taken on to replace Officer Larissa Winkler who recently relocated to another department.
“Right now he currently works part time for the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and he’s a Saugerties resident. I think he’s going to be a good asset — he interviewed very well and because of his part time experience he’s coming here with experience,” said Police Chief Joseph Sinagra. “His training time won’t take as long as someone coming right out of the academy. He won’t be in field training for a lengthy period of time, which is expensive, and he’ll get out on patrol quicker.”
A recent graduate of Rondout Valley High School, Alexis O’Connor was hired as a part-time dispatcher. She is currently studying criminal justice at Ulster County Community College, and according to Sinagra, seems “very ambitious and willing to learn.” Part-time dispatchers cover weekends and weekdays that the three full-time dispatchers need to take off.
“It’s a great way to gain experience, and looking at her high school transcript she’s a smart young adult,” said Sinagra.
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