Saugerties Police Chief Robert Nuzzo is stepping down just seven months into his tenure, though town officials said they believed his time with the department will continue to yield dividends well into the future.
Nuzzo could not be reached for comment, but in an interview with Hudson Valley One prior to a special meeting of the Saugerties Town Board held on Thursday, June 18, supervisor Fred Costello confirmed the resignation came after the state Department of Civil Service notified the town that a waiver from pension requirements would be much lower than the six months originally sought.
“Mr.Nuzzo came to us in a time of crisis,” said Costello during the meeting. “His leadership in a short amount of time has stabilized the department, it has brought credibility back to the department, and our department is stronger in his foundation because of his leadership.”
“We’ve been through this before,” Costello said, with Nuzzo’s successor, former interim chief Lou Barbaria, among a handful of town employees issued a temporary waiver of satisfactory length.
“Unfortunately, in the case of Chief Nuzzo, we weren’t going to be successful in getting an extended waiver or a permanent waiver,” Costello said. “If he had the freedom to be here for a couple of years, he could fully put his imprint on the operations of the department, but with a cloud, for a lack of better words, of instability and the possibility that at some point in a relatively short amount of time he would have to forfeit his role as chief or compromise his pension, he just didn’t feel that that was a healthy work environment for him or for the department.”
Nuzzo, a retired state police Lt. Col., became chief of the Saugerties police department (SPD) Monday, January 1, at a starting salary of $135,000 per year. Nuzzo served with the state police between May 1987 and December 2019, and in addition to organizing the traffic plan for the U.S. Open in Bethpage, his work brought him close to Saugerties in the same role during Woodstock ’94 and the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival.
Last December, the town board voted unanimously to hire Nuzzo, citing stability among his desirable qualities. Barbaria, who served less than half a year in an interim capacity, was also considered a stabilizing influence on a department that had just gone through a period of considerable instability.
Longtime Chief Joseph Sinagra retired in September of last year in the fallout after a the release of a July 7, 2023 report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEMIO) which covered multiple complaints against Officer Dion Johnson, including allegations of harassment and sexual assault. Town board members pointed to the report and the department’s response as a primary motivation in placing Sinagra on administrative leave last summer. Sinagra has since maintained that he did nothing wrong.
In addition to accepting Nuzzo’s resignation, the town board also approved his recommendation for a successor, for now on an interim basis. As Nuzzo departs on August 1, SPD Lt. Kenneth “K.J.” Swart — a SPD veteran with more than 20 years of service — will take the reins as interim chief.
“In his letter of resignation, Chief Nuzzo strongly recommended current Lt. K.J. Swart to assert that leadership role and carry the department forward for the near term,” said Costello during the special meeting. “I’ve had the honor of working with Lt. Swart for a very long time and I know his capabilities, and I think he would be a good leader on behalf of the department. He has also benefited from working with multiple chiefs notably, Chief Barbaria…and most recently, Chief Nuzzo, who is kind of an all-star in policing and in the New York State community, especially the Hudson Valley.”
It’s unclear how long Swart will serve in an interim capacity, or if he will be eligible to become a candidate for full-time chief. Costello said the town would have to wait until the New York State Civil Service issues a list of candidates, and the timeline is based upon volume — a minimum of three eligible candidates — rather than a ticking clock.
Prior to the special meeting, Costello said he was sorry to see Nuzzo leaving.
“I wish we had more time with him,” Costello said. “He’s been incredible in a short amount of time, bringing credibility back to the department and bringing leadership to the department…Our department is better and stronger because of his leadership.”
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