ENDICOTT, N.Y. -- A new man will soon be in charge of the Endicott Police Department. Village officials have named Patrick Garey as the new police chief.
Garey is a former state police captain in Troop C, and Tuesday night as he was introduced as the new Endicott police chief, he said while he thinks the state police are one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world, he's very excited to take on his new role.
He is taking over for Michael Cox, who retired last month after 27 years in law enforcement.
He says there won't be a lot of change to the department up front, as he learns how the Endicott Police Department operates, and what their procedures are. But long term, in order to tackle some of the community's biggest issues, he says it will take a combined effort from all levels of law enforcement.
Garey says he's looking forward to getting to exclusively protect the area he calls home.
"Constantly within state police you're worried about an entire troop area where as with Endicott I have three square miles, I'm looking forward to serving just a small group of citizens where I feel like I can make a significant impact," Garey said.
Craig Williams has been serving as the interim police chief as Garey transitions into the department. Garey says he will officially start his new role towards the end of the month.