Announcement on Pete Kusminsky's Facebook page
I have been a public servant for my entire adult life. I have been a volunteer firefighter since 1983 and a police officer since 1986. I began my career in law enforcement with being sent to Municipal Police Training by the Town of Durham Police Dept and then earned an appointment as a New York State Trooper. I have held multiple positions and ranks and recently retired as the State Police supervisor of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Greene County. I have strived to bring all law enforcement agencies in Greene County together in a collaborative effort to serve the public. I retired in order to run for Sheriff in hopes to continue to my efforts to bring a united, collaborative and professional approach to Greene County’s issues, including the opioid epidemic, crimes against children and the elderly.
I was born in Queens, N.Y. and my family moved to Palenville when I was 7 years old. I attended elementary school at Rowena Memorial School and then graduated from Catskill High School before attending SUNY Buffalo and Columbia-Greene Community College. I became a Trooper and patrolled the roads of Orange and Greene Counties prior to being appointed to the rank of Investigator where, for over 12 years, I handled all types of serious crimes including Murders, Robberies, Assaults, Drug and Sex Crimes. I was commended multiple times for successfully solving crimes and handling a high case load. I was also named Greene County Lawman of the Year in 1998.
I was later promoted to the permanent rank of Sergeant and them appointed to the rank of Senior Investigator where I was assigned to supervise the Orange County Child Abuse Task Force. This assignment gave me experience in supervising and staffing a multi-agency task force consisting of State Police, Sheriff’s Office and local Police Personnel. We worked hand in hand with Child Protective Services to defend vulnerable children from sexual assaults and other crimes. After that assignment I became the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Supervisor in Kingston where I developed lasting relationships with The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, The City of Kingston Police Dept, the Towns of Ulster, Saugerties, Woodstock, Rosendale, Shandaken and Olive Police Depts as well as the NYCDEP police. Lastly I was transferred home to the State Police barracks in Catskill where I continued in that effort to bring all law enforcement together, working in conjunction with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County District Attorney’s Office, Village of Catskill, Coxsackie and Athens Police Depts as well as the Town Police Departments of Hunter, Windham, Cairo and Durham. One of my goals is to continue in that combined effort utilizing all of our resources to serve the public in a professional, respectful and efficient manner.
I am dedicated to public service and believe that I have the temperament, organizational skills, compassion and sense of fairness to bring the Sheriff’s Office to the next level. I believe in building lasting relationships and sharing services for the common good. Police and the community also need to work together to make society safer for all. I respectfully ask for your support in this endeavor.