Goshen police chief warns of looming retirements; board approves two part-time hires

Goshen Police Chief told the Town Board on March 3 that the department faces an imminent experience gap as at least four senior officers approach retirement age, and the board voted to hire two part‑time officers to help fill immediate staffing needs.

The chief said the department has "four guys over 20 years" of service with little monetary incentive to remain beyond retirement and noted one senior officer submitted retirement paperwork and another recently slipped on ice during a call. The chief asked the board to hold a special meeting to review a nine‑page staffing presentation and a study commissioned from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which he said he would forward to board members.

The staffing gap prompted the board to consider immediate hires. The board approved two contingent part‑time appointments: Jason Lewis at $35 per hour (step 4) and Stuart Lloyd at $32 per hour (step 2). Both hires were described as contingent on completed background investigations; Lloyd must also pass a physical‑ability test to remain on the county full‑time hiring list. Both motions passed on voice votes with the board answering "Aye." No roll‑call names were recorded in the transcript for the motions.

The chief summarized the experience level of the senior officers by name and background (as provided to the board): Sergeant David Ramsey (retirement papers submitted), Sergeant Ed Edwards (career highlights including a lifesaving award and a promotion to sergeant in 2020), Sergeant Stan Lipinski (community‑oriented policing and plans to remain while his daughter is in school), and Officer Luke Markiewicz (born and raised in Goshen; previous NYPD service). The chief emphasized that losing several senior officers within a short span would leave a large seniority gap; the next most experienced officer reportedly has only two years on the force.

Board members asked procedural questions about the hires and background checks. The chief said both candidates were contacted, had indicated willingness to accept conditional offers pending background checks, and that one candidate retired from the New York State Police in July and later agreed to return to local policing. The chief also noted two recent part‑time departures were state‑police retirees and that one current part‑timer, who also works as a corrections officer, had recently been held for 36 hours during corrections work and the department is monitoring his availability.

The chief told the board that DCJS completed an audit/study for the department; he said he would distribute the report and meet separately (or in executive session) with the board to discuss the department's longer‑term staffing plan and possible policy or budget changes to retain experienced officers.

No ordinance, salary schedule change, or contract amendment was adopted at the meeting; the board approved only the two conditional part‑time hires and agreed to review the DCJS study and a more detailed staffing presentation at a later special meeting.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified exactly as they appeared in the meeting transcript.