Greene PD confidently looks forward to a new year of service
GREENE— The Village of Greene Police Department went through significant changes in 2014, which initiated the development of a new and improved department for 2015.
After the resignation and arrest of the former Officer in Charge last spring, Officer Donald Brown took charge. Brown had worked part-time for the Village of Greene Police Department since July of 2010.
The Officer in Charge is a lifetime resident of Greene. He graduated from Greene Central School and went on to attend Broome Community College, until he became a corrections officer in 1982.
In 1985, he took the civil service exam to become a police officer in Johnson City. While working as an officer, he entered the New York State Police Zone 6 Academy in 1986. After graduating in 1987, he became a trooper in NYSP Troop C, where he worked until he retired in June of 2010.
Brown enjoyed growing up and living in Greene his entire life, so he decided to help keep Greene the way he remembered it. “Greene is a quaint, safe community and we want to keep it that way,” said Brown.
“We are more community-based than some departments and continue the tradition of keeping Greene a nice community to live in,” said Brown. “As much as the police side is important, the service side is just as important.”
In 2014, Brown hired two new part-time officers, who have both served as deputies for the Chenango County Sheriff's Office since 2003.
He hired Bret Bowen, a lifetime resident of Greene, and Dave Castle, who grew up in Coventry and moved to Greene as an adult. Brown liked that both men were Greene residents, because he thinks it helps them better serve their community.
“I worked with both of them when I was a trooper. I knew how they worked, so I knew they were a good fit for the department,” said Brown.
Brown also promoted a part-time officer to a full-time position this past year. He hopes to groom the recently promoted officer into the next Officer in Charge one day in the future.
Full-time Officer Jeffrey Messina, 32 of Greene is also a lifetime resident of Greene and worked as a deputy for the county. He was hired by the Greene PD in 2013 as a part-time officer.
“He was already working for us. Plus we wanted someone who lives in the area with knowledge of residents and local businesses, which is of a community-oriented policing mindset,” said Brown.
Messina is a graduate of Greene Central School and Mohawk Police Academy in Oneida. He started out as a corrections officer before becoming a patrol deputy for Chenango County.
“The Mayor, Village Board and myself are excited to have someone who lives here locally, can do the job for us and has their roots here in Greene. I have worked with Jeff as a trooper and officer, and I went to school with his dad. I felt confident he could do the job,” said Brown.
Messina said Greene PD is a change of pace for him and a different style of policing than he is used to from working at the Sheriff's office the past 9 years. “It's more community-oriented, very tight knit. I used to cover roughly 911 square miles and serve more than 56,000 people,” said Messina.
“It helps give you an advantage, because it is more about the people you are working and dealing with. With it being a small community, sometimes people are not as forthcoming, but if you know them, they can be more comfortable,” said Messina.
Messina said he always knew he wanted to be a police officer, and he enjoys helping people on a personal level.
“You can actually see the result of your work in this department, where as you may never run into the people you helped in other departments,” said Messina.
Besides making important personnel changes this past year, Greene PD has made some other big changes to their department.
The Greene PD moved from their rental location on Chenango Street in Greene to the Village Hall in Greene. Brown said this change saved the Village thousands of dollars in rent, and it is convenient for them to be centrally located.
Brown said the department is working on updating their computers and technology. The officers recently received a grant for new laptops in their patrol cars and also installed a new server, which Brown said makes their job easier.
He also said they will be adding Live Scan technology, which allows them to immediately check the background of people at the station through their fingerprints. “There is a big push to get this technology across the state,” said Brown.
Brown and Messina completed DWI field sobriety training in Broome County this past year. Brown said they plan to do a lot of training in 2015. “When you get into winter months, there is a lot of training available. We are working to keep up on our training classes and get more done,” said Brown.
Another change the department is looking forward to in 2015 and the coming years is the expansion of the Raymond Corporation. “That will be keeping us busy, because of the increased traffic. We are working to keep everyone safe in the Village and on Route 12, so everyone can move in and out,” said Brown.
Brown is confident in the future of the Greene PD, and he said they are looking forward to another year of service in 2015.
After the resignation and arrest of the former Officer in Charge last spring, Officer Donald Brown took charge. Brown had worked part-time for the Village of Greene Police Department since July of 2010.
The Officer in Charge is a lifetime resident of Greene. He graduated from Greene Central School and went on to attend Broome Community College, until he became a corrections officer in 1982.
In 1985, he took the civil service exam to become a police officer in Johnson City. While working as an officer, he entered the New York State Police Zone 6 Academy in 1986. After graduating in 1987, he became a trooper in NYSP Troop C, where he worked until he retired in June of 2010.
Brown enjoyed growing up and living in Greene his entire life, so he decided to help keep Greene the way he remembered it. “Greene is a quaint, safe community and we want to keep it that way,” said Brown.
“We are more community-based than some departments and continue the tradition of keeping Greene a nice community to live in,” said Brown. “As much as the police side is important, the service side is just as important.”
In 2014, Brown hired two new part-time officers, who have both served as deputies for the Chenango County Sheriff's Office since 2003.
He hired Bret Bowen, a lifetime resident of Greene, and Dave Castle, who grew up in Coventry and moved to Greene as an adult. Brown liked that both men were Greene residents, because he thinks it helps them better serve their community.
“I worked with both of them when I was a trooper. I knew how they worked, so I knew they were a good fit for the department,” said Brown.
Brown also promoted a part-time officer to a full-time position this past year. He hopes to groom the recently promoted officer into the next Officer in Charge one day in the future.
Full-time Officer Jeffrey Messina, 32 of Greene is also a lifetime resident of Greene and worked as a deputy for the county. He was hired by the Greene PD in 2013 as a part-time officer.
“He was already working for us. Plus we wanted someone who lives in the area with knowledge of residents and local businesses, which is of a community-oriented policing mindset,” said Brown.
Messina is a graduate of Greene Central School and Mohawk Police Academy in Oneida. He started out as a corrections officer before becoming a patrol deputy for Chenango County.
“The Mayor, Village Board and myself are excited to have someone who lives here locally, can do the job for us and has their roots here in Greene. I have worked with Jeff as a trooper and officer, and I went to school with his dad. I felt confident he could do the job,” said Brown.
Messina said Greene PD is a change of pace for him and a different style of policing than he is used to from working at the Sheriff's office the past 9 years. “It's more community-oriented, very tight knit. I used to cover roughly 911 square miles and serve more than 56,000 people,” said Messina.
“It helps give you an advantage, because it is more about the people you are working and dealing with. With it being a small community, sometimes people are not as forthcoming, but if you know them, they can be more comfortable,” said Messina.
Messina said he always knew he wanted to be a police officer, and he enjoys helping people on a personal level.
“You can actually see the result of your work in this department, where as you may never run into the people you helped in other departments,” said Messina.
Besides making important personnel changes this past year, Greene PD has made some other big changes to their department.
The Greene PD moved from their rental location on Chenango Street in Greene to the Village Hall in Greene. Brown said this change saved the Village thousands of dollars in rent, and it is convenient for them to be centrally located.
Brown said the department is working on updating their computers and technology. The officers recently received a grant for new laptops in their patrol cars and also installed a new server, which Brown said makes their job easier.
He also said they will be adding Live Scan technology, which allows them to immediately check the background of people at the station through their fingerprints. “There is a big push to get this technology across the state,” said Brown.
Brown and Messina completed DWI field sobriety training in Broome County this past year. Brown said they plan to do a lot of training in 2015. “When you get into winter months, there is a lot of training available. We are working to keep up on our training classes and get more done,” said Brown.
Another change the department is looking forward to in 2015 and the coming years is the expansion of the Raymond Corporation. “That will be keeping us busy, because of the increased traffic. We are working to keep everyone safe in the Village and on Route 12, so everyone can move in and out,” said Brown.
Brown is confident in the future of the Greene PD, and he said they are looking forward to another year of service in 2015.
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