The Saugerties Town Board accepted the second resignation for retirement of patrolman Donald Tucker at its regular meeting on Wednesday, October 14. Tucker had previously retired about six years ago after reaching the rank of first sergeant in the local police force, said supervisor Fred Costello.
“Don was an officer before I was a council member, and when I came on and became police liaison, I knew very little about law enforcement. I look back gratefully for his guidance and trust and his education in exposing me to police work,” Costello said. “Don was a true leader. He always had the community and his men who worked under him in mind when he was out there, and he wouldn’t ask anyone to do what he was not willing to do himself.”
When the town and village police departments merged, “that was a significant change, and he could have retired back then, but in spite of that dramatic change he stuck with it and became a significant part of the reason that the merger of the village and town [police forces] was successful,” Costello said. The village and town police forces merged in 2011. The merger would not have gone so smoothly without Tucker’s support and effort.
In what was a complex and difficult time for the department, “his [Tucker’s] leadership motivated the officers, especially the younger officers, at the time, to believe in that change, and it would not have been as well received as quickly as it did without his support and effort,” said Costello .
In a second difficult period, when the department sought – and received – accreditation, Tucker again could have retired, bur he took on the demanding task of showing the accreditors how the department met state standards. “When you reach the age of retirement, it is easy to do it the way you have done it, but in spite of the merger and accreditation and the paper work that went along with that he embraced it, and figured it out,” explained Costello. “He has really been a tremendous asset to our department for many, many years.”
He wished Tucker a happy retirement and many years to come.
“He was a real people person,” agreed councilwoman Leeanne Thornton. “It shows in his relationship with kids, and just being able to relate to the youngsters in this community was so nice to see. I will miss seeing his face out there. Congratulations again on your second retirement.”
His service was stopped for a period when the police department was without a chief, and the two sergeants, Tucker and Kevin Drescher, ran the department. He was reelected following the appointment of an interim chief.
Tucker also served for a dozen years on the local school board.
Join the family! 
