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Germantown lacks officers for its police department

Jun 21, 2018 1:23 pm
Debby Mayer reports in The Columbia Paper that Germantown currently has a police department without any officers. Brian DuBois, the officer-in-charge of the two-person department, is on paid administrative leave. Town Supervisor Robert Beaury wrote in a June 19 email to the paper: “no further comment,” about the leave. Officer Damon Filli's appointment was rescinded at the town's June 12 meeting, the supervisor said, because “he didn’t take an oath of office.” Filli explained, “I took the oath when I was hired.... We were sworn in when we were first hired, not yearly. Mr. Beaury initiated that we be sworn in every year.” Now the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is covering court sessions for Germantown. And the town abolished the Board of Police Commissioners because, "We had more commissioners than officers,” Beaury said. Last month the Town Board hired retired New York State Police superintendent Harry J. Corbitt as a consultant to “conduct a management and feasibility study of the Germantown Police Department.” The board will discuss that study at its July 10 meeting. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.