TOWN OF TONAWANDA: Assistant police chief named
By Daniel Pye/pyed@gnnewspaper.com
The Tonawanda News
There’s a new assistant chief in town.
Members of the Town of Tonawanda town board unanimously approved Capt. Jerome Uschold to become the new assistant chief of police at their Monday meeting.
Chief of Police Anthony Palombo, who recommended Uschold for the position, said Uschold’s training expertise, SWAT team experience and graduation from the FBI national academy are just a few of the qualities that make him a good candidate for the job.
Uschold, who started working for the department 23 years ago, said he’s looking forward to working with Palombo again after spending years in positions where interaction between the two was at a minimum.
“(Palombo) was my captain when I was a lieutenant. We have the same views and outlook on law enforcement,” Uschold said. “There’s a lot to be done, a lot of progress to be made.”
Movement up the ladder doesn’t stop with the new assistant chief. Uschold’s promotion opens up a captain’s spot in the department that will likely be filled from within, possibly creating a lieutenant’s spot to be filled after that, Palombo said.
The town board voted on a resolution to approve the existing “no parking” signs on Eiseman Avenue. While the signs were being replaced, workers at the highway department realized there was no documentation for the signs, Palombo said.
“The highway department couldn’t find the records from the mid-’60s,” Palombo said. “The action was enacted, but there was no existing record. So they just re-enacted it so it would be on the books.”
Supervisor Ron Moline joked that, unfortunately, no refunds could be given for tickets issued on the street during the last 30 years.
The board also approved a resolution to approve and authorize the supervisor to submit an application for a grant that would pay police overtime salaries to monitor Kenmore East and West high schools.
“The grant is geared toward addressing the immediate needs of the community,” said Councilwoman Melissa Brinson, who is also president of the Ken-Ton school board. “The SRO program is the long-term solution, but this will fill the need until we have that long-term program in place.”
Officers currently stationed in the schools are off-duty Town of Tonawanda officers being paid overtime. That way the school district doesn’t take away manpower from the police department, Brinson said.
“Regardless of whether we get the grant, the school district is committed to addressing the needs of the community,” Brinson said. “But if we’re successful, the grant will pay the overtime funds going forward until the SROs are trained and hired.”
Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.
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Originally Posted by Eat My Gun
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