Meet the new chief

MILLERTON —  Joseph Olenik has been appointed the chief of police in the Village of Millerton. His hours will vary throughout the week at a salary of $25,000. Throughout his career, Olenik has enjoyed holding at least two jobs at once, sometimes three, with a current full-time day job as the director of facilities, operations and support services for Putnam Hospital in Carmel and Sharon Hospital in Connecticut – both part of Nuvance Health.

His past law enforcement positions include 32 years part-time with the North Salem Police Department where he oversaw all departmental training and worked on the road as a corporal with 14 part-time officers. Simultaneously he was the chief of the State University Police at SUNY Purchase for 19 years, supervising an assistant chief, deputy chief, four lieutenants, one criminal investigator, one inspector and 20 officers.

His first job was as a police officer/deputy sheriff with Westchester County in 1979. In his 44 years in law enforcement, he has pulled his gun just once.

Olenik hopes to bring his background in community policing to Millerton and the Town of North East, and believes police should be part of the community and know its residents. Since his selection by the village trustees, he has spent weekends walking around the village, and talking to business owners and residents.

He has begun conversations with Millerton’s police force, examining police activities, training and the backgrounds of the current officers as well as inventorying village police equipment.

His stated desire is to “work hand in hand” with members of the department and lead by example. He hopes that the town of North East will once again provide funding for a police department that emphasizes community policing and will also investigate grants for training and equipment.

Olenik plans on being out and about on the weekends setting an example. Since he gets up at 4 a.m., residents shouldn’t be surprised to see him checking on the village in the early morning hours.

Olenik’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in facilities and property management from Iona College and a mechanical engineering degree from Manhattan College. Certifications that Olenik has earned during his police career include master police instructor for the Division of Criminal Justice Services along with specific instructor certifications in Field Sobriety, Firearms, Radar, Pepper Spray and General Topics.

He continues to be a regular instructor at various police academies as well as assisting with the in-service training of local municipal law enforcement agencies.

Olenik understands the issues confronting small, part-time police departments. At this point he is uncertain about whether the police budget will be sufficient to attract new officers to the force — with standard security guard positions paying $25 an hour — and philosophical about hiring and training young officers who move onto better positions after gaining experience.

He believes that body cameras, which officers now wear,  should help the liability threat faced by all police departments. Asked how he would handle complaints about the police, Olenik said that any investigation rests with the chief of police, who would report his findings to the board of trustees if necessary.

As a regular matter, Olenik plans on reporting what’s “good and bad” and what needs to be changed. He also wants to update the department website to explain what the department is doing, include the names of the officers and issue safety warnings.

A Dutchess County resident, Olenik moved from Yorktown Heights after 25 years and has lived in Hopewell Junction for the past 16 years with his family – wife Stephanie and  children Emily, 11, Colin, 12, and Bradley, 19, who’s in college at SUNY Cortland. His married daughter, Katie, lives in Bedford with her two children, Mason and Mia.

Expect to see Olenik wearing his vest inside his uniform to be less intimidating but still safe as he patrols the streets of the village.