Are The Hudson Police Chief and Commissioner Merely Figureheads? Still?

According to old articles found online, former Hudson Mayor William Hallenbeck referred to both Police Chief Ed Moore and Police Commissioner Gary Graziano as "figureheads" during a mayoral debate in October of 2015.  Hallenbeck was not reelected; Ed Moore stuck around for 7 more years; and there have been 2 police commissioners since Graziano stepped aside after an embarrassing comment and disagreement with Mayor Hamilton a year later.

If memory serves me well, Hudson did not have a police commissioner for at least three years; not even an acting commissioner.  After Graziano left in disgrace in late 2016, the next commissioner came along in early 2020.  I attended Common Council meetings fairly regularly during those 3 years, and I do not recall Ed Moore mentioning the fact that his department was without a commissioner or what his plans were to do about filling the empty position.  Nor did I hear any council members ask when a new commissioner was going to be appointed.  Apparently, there was no problem with the position being left unfilled for years.  It was as if the position of commissioner was unnecessary.  The Hudson Police Department did not fall apart or even seem worse off, and things went along as usual.

Peter Volkmann, the Chatham Police Chief, was appointed as Hudson's Police Commissioner in January of 2020.  Of course, he did not live in Hudson.  He lasted no longer than a year as commissioner after he was busted for stealing pension money and other misdeeds, even pleading guilty to grand larceny.  State Police were well into an investigation of him when he was appointed Hudson Police Commissioner.  I remember him speaking at council meetings -- talk about a useless figurehead.  Well, at least he showed up to meetings.

Shane Bower, a former Hudson cop, was appointed commissioner in October of 2020 and still holds the unpaid position over 2 years later.  I do not know where Mr. Bower lives, but I can tell you that he never attends Common Council meetings unless filling in for Ed Moore, a bad habit that Ed never seemed to mind. 

I am on friendly terms with one Hudson police officer who has been in the department for at least a few years.  I recently asked him how he felt about Chief Moore.  He responded, "Honestly, I don't deal with him at all.  I see him in the station occasionally and he seems nice, but that's about the extent of my contact with him.  Officers take their orders from the lieutenants, and we speak regularly with them."

Police Chief L. Edward Moore's signature
 at the bottom of a dumpster permit

One task that I do know the Hudson Police Chief performs is signing every parking permit that a contractor needs to park a dumpster or machinery on a city street.  Unless something changes, our new Police Chief will likely be doing the same thing:  Keeping us all safe by reading and signing dumpster permits.