Sylvester to Retire as Police Chief in Village of Ossining
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Kevin Sylvester, who at the age of 35 in 2016 was the youngest person named police chief in Westchester County, is retiring from the Village of Ossining Police Department.
On Dec. 6, the Ossining Board of Trustees unanimously approved a separation agreement with Sylvester, effective Dec. 31. No terms of the agreement were revealed.
“It’s been an awesome ride. I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity serve as chief of the Ossining Police Department,” Sylvester said in a live Dec. 7 Facebook address to the community while standing in downtown Main St. “For the last eight years, I have given by heart and soul to this community.”
Sylvester started his 20-year police career in Ossining in 2003. A Marine Corps veteran, the lifelong village resident earned his law degree in 2014. In 2018, he was named one of the Business Council of Westchester’s “40 Under 40” Rising Stars.
Earlier this year, Sylvester completed his term as President of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police.
“My only goal coming into this profession was to leave the world a little better than I found it,” Sylvester stated on LinkedIn five months ago. “I’m just one person, from a town people can’t spell, trying to make my contribution to the world.”
Ossining Mayor Rika Levin said Sylvester brought “21st Century policing” to Ossining with an innovative brand that included a broad use of social media.
“His emphasis on the use of social media, including the first Spanish-language police department Facebook page in the country, has made the department more accessible and has helped to humanize his officers by highlighting their hard work under often challenging circumstances,” Levin stated.
“Thanks to Chief Sylvester, the Ossining Police Department is at the forefront of holistic approaches to policing—under the chief’s leadership, Ossining jumped at the chance to become one of three communities working with Family Services of Westchester to extend the reach of FSW’s Mobile Crisis Response Team,” she continued. “This innovative partnership was designed to provide police with training and support to stabilize those experiencing mental health crises and connect them with follow-up services as needed in a response to police reform advocacy that was universally supported.”
Sylvester said having a social media presence was done “out of a sense of responsibility.”
“It was never about me. I have always been the face of the department,” he said. “Cops are shy people by nature. Most of policing is stuff you will never hear. I wanted to make sure Ossining always got its due. You could not find a better mix than the people who work in the Ossining Police Department.”
Trustee Omar Lopez praised Sylvester for his service, saying, “I’m grateful to have had you as a chief. Your level of accomplishments is indicative of how you are as a person and how you served the community.”
However, resident Linda Mangano of Ellis Place, holding up a copy of a recently published story about lawsuits and allegations made against Sylvester, mentioned her disappointment to the board last week.
“I think something like this is a smack in our face,” she remarked. “We have an exceptionally good police department. The men and women who work there are aces.”
Mangano also expressed her support for Lieutenant Aaron Zimmerman to succeed Sylvester as chief.
“He’s professional. He has integrity. He’s honest. He’s well-liked,” Mangano said of Zimmerman.
Levin said the board will name an acting chief and then interview potential candidates for the permanent position. Sylvester said he is hopeful the board will choose someone already on staff.
“The board has nothing but good options,” Sylvester said. “The community will remain in good hands. There will be lots of change, lots of newness, lots of good ideas.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
