*** In case of emergency: Phone: (518) 842-1100 or Dial 911 ***
Departments of the APD
Currently the Amsterdam Police Department is broken into 4 divisions designed to help support the over-all goals and mission of the department.
- Office of the Chief of Police
- Amsterdam Police Detectives Bureau
- Uniform Patrol Division
- Amsterdam Police SWAT Team
Office of the Chief of Police
Thomas Brownell joined the Amsterdam Police Department on August 9, 1974 as a patrol officer. In January of 1977 he was elected to the position of President of the Amsterdam Police Benevolence Association where he served continuously as president until 1989 when he stepped down to assume the presidency of the Amsterdam Superior Officers Association (SOA) at its inception in 1989. Chief Brownell was also a member of the first ever International Soviet American Police Exchange Program in 1989.
Brownell was promoted to Sergeant in 1987 and was promoted to "Provisional" Police Chief on January 1, 1996. Scoring #1 on Civil Service Test for Chief of Police, given in March of 1996, he became the first "Civil Service Chief" in the history of the Amsterdam Police Department. On June 4, 1996, Brownell was appointed Permanent Chief of the Amsterdam Police Department.
Upon taking office on January 1, 1996, the Chief pledged to use innovative as well as time-tested ways to attack the out of control drug sale problem in the City of Amsterdam. Through the D.A.R.E. Program and the Amsterdam Police Explorers the Chief is trying to reach out to children and educate them about the hazards of drugs before they become involved in the drug culture. The Amsterdam Police Department continues to lead the Capital District in effective drug enforcement. This enforcement is a never-ending task, but we have made the streets of Amsterdam safer for everyone.
- Ensures that the Department's Mission is executed efficiently and effectively
- Creates a vision of the desired future state of the department as a whole
- Empowers and leads subordinates
- Plans, organizes, directs, staffs, coordinates and controls all departmental functions
- Reports to the Mayor and the Common Council
Amsterdam Police Detective Bureau
As a primary function of this department, criminal investigation aims at prompt effective and efficient investigation of all crimes and offenses which occur within the City of Amsterdam, identification and apprehension of individuals committing those crimes, and then the proper, legal charging, presentation in court of evidence, etc., to help ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their crimes.
The Amsterdam Police Department Detective Bureau has the responsibility of handling those criminal investigations which require special expertise or which because of their complexity or geographical considerations, do not lend themselves readily to completion by Patrol Officers.
Uniform Patrol Division
The Uniform Patrol Division consists of four separate squads that are assigned to twelve hour shifts. Each squad is supervised by a Sergeant. The City is divided up into two zones. The officers work their assigned zone for the duration of their shift. These are the officers who will take calls for service from the residents of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Police SWAT Team
The mission of the SWAT Team is to provide a well-disciplined, well-trained and efficient unit which can be utilized by the Chief of Police in situations where the public and individual officers are in extreme danger and at a distinct disadvantage.
SWAT, which stands for Special Weapons and Tactics, is comprised of officers from the Amsterdam Police Department and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. The Team is commanded by Sgt. Dean Palmieri. Each team member must meet strict requirements and goes through a rigorous selection process to be selected. The Team trains on a monthly basis to be prepared to handle a variety of high-risk critical incidents.
When a situation dictates the need of the specialized equipment and the tactically trained officers that the SWAT Team has, the Team responds and assumes the tactical operations of the incident. The SWAT Team is utilized for incidents such as hostage situations and negotiations, barricaded suspects, service of high-risk warrants, drug raids and search warrants, searches for armed subjects, VIP protection, stakeouts and undercover surveillance, civil disorder and other special events. SWAT handles any incident, which has a propensity for armed confrontations, which through containment and specialized tactics would more likely be resolved without injury or loss of life.
Patrol is the primary law enforcement function and embraces much more than the act of patrolling. It is a generalized function in which officers engage in a wide variety of activities to include, but not limited to, enforcing traffic and criminal laws, answering complaints, disturbing the peace issues, conducting follow-up investigations, community policing, transporting prisoners, community services activities and other such duties. The Amsterdam Police Department provides law enforcement to all citizens in the City of Amsterdam, twenty-four (24) hours a day, every day, call (518) 842-1100.
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