After what has seemed like a rotating door of police chiefs, the city of Newburgh recently swore in a new pair of leaders.

The new police commissioner, Jose Gomerez, and newest chief, Anthony Geraci, both started their careers at the NYPD Police Academy, parted ways for two decades, only to team up just west of the Hudson.

“The amount of love and energy from this community is extremely encouraging and very positive,” said Geraci. “We look forward to listening to the community and figuring out what the challenges are.”

The new leaders have been walking the blocks surrounding their station, saying it serves a dual purpose – visibility and accessibility. They’ve spent the last few days introducing themselves to shop owners and residents and simply asking “what would you like us to address?” at each place.

Sometimes it’s street parking or animal waste; other times, it’s police training and a fractured relationship with the community.

“We graduated [from NYPD Police Academy] and we both hit the streets, and our training was just this: walking the block, getting to know people, having those non-adversarial conversations,” explained Geraci, who was previously police chief in Watervliet.

Previous to Gomerez and Geraci, the city of Newburgh was led by Chief Butch Amthor. He left after eight months in the position and after a rift had grown between him and Newburgh’s city council.

“We are not going anywhere,” said Gomerez.

“Yeah, there has been a lack of consistency, and I want to echo what the commissioner said. We are here to hold each other accountable, and that goes both ways,” explained Geraci.

Two new faces leading the police force in Newburgh may seem like a daunting approach for a city with a fractured relationship with their squad, but Gomerez feels like he is right where he was meant to be.

“We are going to transform the word ‘outsiders’. We are not outsiders; it just took us a little longer to get here,” explains Gomerez.