2012 May
May 22, 2012 – Buckle Up New York
The Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, in conjunction with the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board and New York State, announces their participation in Buckle-Up New York. This special enforcement is intended to save lives by ensuring all motorists and their passengers wear safety belts and use appropriate and approved child passenger safety seats.
The zero tolerance enforcement has just begun and will continue until June 4, 2012. Residents are reminded that New York State Law requires the following:
All front passengers must wear seatbelts regardless of age
All rear seat passengers must wear seatbelts under the age of 16
All children under 4 years old must be properly restrained in a federally approved child safety seat
All children between the ages of 4 and 7 must be buckled up with a lap and shoulder belt in booster seats or appropriate child safety restraints.
For more information, contact the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department Traffic Division at 845-485-3680.
May 9, 2012 – Public Nuisance Enforcement
Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department Chief of Police Thomas Mauro is today notifying area residents and local college students renting off campus residential homes that the police department will be taking new steps this year to strictly enforce and curtail large gatherings and parties in town neighborhoods.
For the past several years, prior to college graduation ceremonies, certain college seniors renting local homes in the Fairview neighborhood have hosted large drinking parties. Chief Thomas Mauro stated these parties have become known among Marist College graduating students as the ‘house crawl’, ‘pub crawl’ and the ‘beer olympics’. Chief Mauro also stated that past problem behaviors associated with these drinking events off campus include verbal arguments, physical fights, public urination, vandalism, sexual assaults, intoxicated students requiring transports to local hospitals, auto accidents and arrests for driving while intoxicated.
Among the new steps being taken this year will be the assignment of a very large police enforcement detail that will arrest party hosts or attending students and their guests for violation of the Dutchess County Social Host Law, New York State laws pertaining to consumption of alcohol by minors and local ordinances concerning noise, litter and disorderly conduct. In addition, officers deployed in the Fairview neighborhood will be making referrals to the Town of Poughkeepsie’s Building Inspector, Zoning Department and Fire Inspector for potential civil litigation against rental property owners.
The Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department will be requesting assistance from adjoining local law enforcement agencies as well as the New York State Police and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Mauro stated ‘police officers will enforce all appropriate laws and statutes fairly, reasonably and peacefully. We will be professional in dealing with this issue and the public we encounter. I strongly urge any college student hosting a party, particularly where large amounts of alcohol will be consumed, to consider whether they would enjoy attending their graduation ceremonies or spending their graduation day at a mandatory court appearance at a local Criminal Court.’
May 2, 2012 – Armed Robbery
On 4/19/12 at approximately 3:00AM, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department responded for a reported armed robbery at the Mobil gas station located at 2605 South Road.
Responding officers confirmed the clerk had been robbed by a male subject at knife point.The clerk was uninjured and the subject had fled the scene with cash stolen from the robbery.
Subsequent investigation conducted by the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department Detective Division has resulted in the arrest of the below identified defendant on May 1, 2012 for Robbery in the First Degree.
ARREST INFORMATION
DEFENDANT: Rocco R. CARDASCIA – 24 years of age
Address: 669 Vassar Road, Poughkeepsie,NY
CHARGE: Robbery in the First Degree- PL165.15 sub.03 Class B Felony
ARRAIGNMENT INFORMATION
CARDASCIA was arraigned on May 1, 2012 by Justice Paul Sullivan in Town of Poughkeepsie Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail on $40,000 cash or $80,000 bond to reappear on 5/08/12 at the Town of Poughkeepsie Court.
