Police Chief Frank Cavalieri Set To Retire

By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
COOPERSTOWN

Cooperstown Village Police Chief Frank Cavalieri is retiring on October 1 after having served since 2020. He will remain available to help the department transition, and may continue patrolling. Jess Lanza will take over as officer-in-charge until eligible to take the chief exam in two years.

“I’m gonna be 65 next year, and this is actually a young man’s job,” Cavalieri said of the part-time chief position. “With the ever-changing environment that we’re living in now, especially with AI and computers, it’s time for me to let a younger man do it.”

Cavalieri said he enjoyed his time as chief.

“The great thing is the Village of Cooperstown itself. The people that are here, the people that come to visit the environment we are all working in, you know, the majority of our interaction with the public has always been positive,” he said.

“The Village of Cooperstown and all its residents and visitors have benefited immeasurably from the highly trained, professional, and calm leadership that Chief Cavilieri has provided to our Cooperstown Police Department,” Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh said in a statement to “The Freeman’s Journal.” “In his five plus years of service at the helm of CPD, he has been an effective and outstanding leader and we sincerely thank him for his service,” she concluded.

Cavalieri said some of his top accomplishments as chief included hiring more officers, updating equipment, expanding training opportunities and implementing new cameras. Under his tenure, officers also received body cameras.

He also sees challenges ahead, in particular related to mental health.

Cavalieri said the COVID-19 pandemic was a “catalyst” for mental health crises, and despite his expectation it would fade as time progresses, calls continue to come in.

“We unfortunately made the mistake back in the 70s to shut down all these institutions, and now there’s really no long-term facilities to help these people out.”

Cavalieri added that arrests have continued to go up. He believes one of the causes is the state’s bail reform law.

“Bail reform is a big, big problem,” he said.

Passed in 2019, the original state law prevented judges from requiring pre-trial money bail or jail time for misdemeanors and low-level felonies. Since then, state legislators have passed multiple revisions which allow greater flexibility for judges. The United States is one of a handful of countries where money bail is common practice.

In addition to supporting the department “in the background,” Cavalieri said he will continue running his side business training and competing dogs.

He wants Cooperstownians to know he appreciated his time here as chief.

“It was an honor to serve the community…and as I had an open door when I was chief, if anybody ever needs anything, I’m more than happy to help.”