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Irvington honors officers for life‑saving actions and promotes a detective
Summary
At a village board meeting, Chief Pnatelli honored officers for an October 2025 missing‑person response and February 2026 life‑saving CPR response; the board also swore in and appointed Brian Bernett as a detective effective July 1, 2026.
Chief Pnatelli opened the awards portion of the meeting by summarizing the Irvington Police Department’s 2025 activity and community‑oriented work, saying the department responded to more than 5,000 calls for service last year and conducted routine school walkthroughs and foot patrols.
"Tonight is an opportunity to recognize the outstanding work, dedication, and professionalism of the men and women of the Irvington Police Department," Chief Pnatelli said as he introduced the awards.
The board gave an honorable mention award to Sergeant Patrick Garvey and Police Officer Jonathan Bloomfield for an October 2, 2025 incident in which an officer on a park foot patrol located and helped coordinate the safe recovery of a missing resident with dementia after license‑plate reader hits led investigators to Terrytown. Chief Pnatelli said coordinated work with neighboring departments and prompt information sharing were central to locating the person quickly.
The board presented life‑saving awards to Sergeant Anthony Capidora, Police Officer Lared Depala Depali (transcript spelling), and Police Officer Brandon Bellis for their February 3, 2026 response to a head‑injury call. Officer Depali and Sergeant Capidora initiated CPR after the patient lost a pulse; responders regained a pulse and the patient was taken to a hospital, where the patient died the next day. Chief Pnatelli said the family later expressed gratitude for the officers’ efforts, which provided relatives time to arrive and say final goodbyes.
During the same ceremony the board administered an oath of office and moved to appoint Brian Bernett to the position of detective at an annual salary of $153,856, effective July 1, 2026. The board called the motion, a second was recorded, and the chair put the question to members, who voiced assent and the appointment was approved.
The board emphasized that the awards recognize both individual initiative and departmentwide community engagement, noting programs such as the senior breakfast, "Coffee and Cocoa with a Cop," and school safety partnerships.
The meeting then continued with other agenda items.
