NEWBURGH – A sergeant in the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department has been named the City of Newburgh’s new police commissioner. At the same time as city officials announced the appointment of Jose Gomerez, they announced that Anthony Geraci, the Watervliet police chief, has been named chief in Newburgh.
In a city with a majority population of Latino and African American residents, Mayor Torrance Harvey said Gomerez is a welcomed addition to the community and police force. He was born in the Dominican Republican, came to the U.S. as a child and is a naturalized citizen, Harvey said. The commissioner’s first language is Spanish which will be a major plus in Newburgh, the mayor said.
“When you are looking at a city such as Newburgh where you have 53 to 55 percent Hispanic in our city, having someone out the gate while reimaging that police department, as a police commissioner is a native Spanish speaking citizen who was born in a Latin American country. So that was also important; he is bilingual. He is fluent and he is a man of color,” Harvey said.
Both positions will be full-time when they are sworn on next Monday night.
Harvey said while both men were the top choice of City Manager Todd Venning, the council was brought in to meet with the two finalists for each post.
Both men will be sworn police officers with Gomerez overseeing policy and procedures and Geraci handling day to day operations.
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