Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Celebrates 300 Years

In 1717 the King of England appointed Corneles Van Denbogart to serve as the Sheriff of Dutchess County, before the birth of America. Current Sheriff, Adrian "Butch" Anderson, who swears that he wasn't a deputy under the first sheriff, said that a lot has changed in the 300 years since Van Denbogart served under the king. The 47-year veteran of the department mentioned that the position is now an elected, not appointed by a king.

At a gathering at the Poughkeepsie HQ of the Sheriff, Anderson gave a candid overview of the department, praised the 450 or so men and women of the department under his command, and explained what he expects of his sworn officers. "I don't care how many tickets they write or how many arrests they make. I care about how many people they help!"

Sgt. Jonathan Hughes, the supervisor of the records department was on hand to give the audience an abbreviated history of the department including notable records and memorable cases. The display included pistol permit applications from Eleanor Roosevelt, James Cagney, and close friend of the Sheriff, James Earl Jones. As for notable cases, Sgt. Hughes mentioned the 1930 murders of the Germond family, the Tawanna Brawley case, and the raid with subsequent arrest of psychedelic drug proponent, Timothy Leary.

Sgt. Hughes also made a plea to the public for assistance. The sergeant is requesting that anyone with historical records or artifacts that pertain to the DCSO call him at 845-486-3800 so that he can obtain further information about the history of the agency.