By DIANE VALDEN
STUYVESANT—A hard-hitting late afternoon storm brought down a tree and wires at 603 State Route 9J, Stuyvesant, June 24 at 5:55 p.m.
Stuyvesant firefighters were dispatched by Columbia County 911 along with Stuyvesant Falls firefighters to provide mutual aid. National Grid and the NYS Department of Transportation were summoned to the scene. Firefighters were back in service at 7:08 p.m. The road was closed to all traffic between County Route 46 and Sharptown Road because the tree and wires were blocking the roadway. Crews cleared away the obstruction and the road was open by 11:13 p.m.
A similar nasty rain/thunder/lightning storm precipitated two dozen calls for service handled by Columbia County 911, June 20 between about 6 to 10 p.m.
In addition to many calls for trees and wires down in the road and on houses, there were reports of fire alarm activations, transformers damaged and/or on fire and utility poles broken. The calls were spread across the northern half of the county.
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com
Sheriff’s Office spotlights Deputy Matthew Cowan
GREENPORT—Deputy Matthew Cowan’s job is different from one day to the next.
A typical day for Deputy Cowan starts at 7 a.m. and with a 12-hour shift but diverges from there.
One day he could be staked out in a barn in Ancram with fellow deputies as part of a fraud sting operation, the next day he is attending training at the Columbia County 911 Center.
But that’s what he enjoys about it.
“You come in a little before 7 a.m., get your car loaded up, and put yourself in it,” said Deputy Cowan, who joined the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in June. “You check your email and take care of any open cases by following up with those calls. Throughout the day, if it is not too busy, that is when you get to do traffic stops and go out and talk to people. By 3 p.m., we all meet back at the Sheriff’s Office, if we are not on call, for a shift briefing to talk about what went on that day. And, by then, if there are no calls, we continue on the road.”
Deputy Cowan lives in Greenport and is a graduate of Hudson High School and completed the Columbia-Greene Basic Training Phase I and Phase II program. For Phase II, which includes 160 hours of field training, he was sponsored by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
He enjoys that his job allows him to be close to family and explore new facets of his hometown.
“I think it is an awesome job,” Deputy Cowan said. “You get to work at your own pace. I like doing traffic stops, taking calls, and going out and talking to people. I like to be proactive. It’s what you put into it. You can choose what kind of cop you want to be.”
And what kind of cop is Deputy Cowan? Compassionate and smart. “Some people might think I am too nice but I think it is the easiest way to get through to people.”
But don’t think you can pull a fast one on him.
“People are not good liars,” he said. “It gets easier to see and pick up on patterns.”
It’s better just to be honest, he said.
Deputy Cowan was inspired to pursue a career in law enforcement by watching his father, who is a corrections officer at Coxsackie Correctional Facility.
“I always had it in the back of my head to become a cop,” he said. “I think most people don’t realize what the police see on a day-to-day basis. Most people think all police do is eat doughnuts and drink coffee, but there are many aspects of the job people don’t realize until you explain it to them. I have seen a lot of things most people don’t see.”
Deputy Cowan completed his police basic training course at Columbia-Greene Community College. There were two phases. The first phase included training, physical fitness requirements and defensive tactics. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office sponsored Deputy Cowan on Phase II, which included 160 hours of supervised field training.
During his downtime, Deputy Cowan enjoys playing baseball, guitar, and drums, and, on occasion, hunting and fishing.
His advice to aspiring deputies? Start young.
“You’ll be able to get out early or keep progressing to a higher rank,” said the 22-year-old. “Stick to it. Do your best to take all the training you can. You can never have too much training. There is a lot to study and know.”
Authorities crackdown on fake IDs
GHENT—The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is again working to prevent underage drinking by checking for fake IDs at concerts this summer throughout New York.
DMV investigators will be joined by investigators from the State Liquor Authority, State Police, State Park Police, and local law enforcement for the annual Operation Prevent enforcement detail.
“One of the pleasures of the summer season is the many outdoor concert venues New Yorkers can enjoy, and nothing mars a fun summer day more than a tragic crash caused by underage drinking. This initiative is one of the key ways we are keeping everyone safe on the roads and at summer hot spots this season,” Mark J.F. Schroeder, DMV commissioner and chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, said in a press release.
The underage drinking enforcement details will continue through the summer at concert venues across the state.
Last year, DMV investigators cited 312 concertgoers and bar patrons for attempting to use fake identification to purchase alcoholic beverages when they are below the legal drinking age. A total of 389 fake IDs were seized.
If someone under 21 is found to be using a fake ID or someone else’s ID to buy alcohol, they can be ticketed and their license can be suspended or revoked for a minimum of 90 days or up to one year.
Operation Prevent is supported by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. The committee coordinates traffic safety activities in New York, and it awards federal highway safety grant funds to local, state, and not-for-profit agencies for projects to improve highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes.
New Yorkers struggling with addiction or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).
Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, residential, or outpatient care can be found using the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports website.
