Civilian Complaint Review Board members

Here’s a look at the five members of the newly-created Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) appointed last month by the Common Council.

The CCRB will provide a governmental structure to investigate, review, and dispose of civilian complaints made against police officers, giving due regard for the rights and interests of both the civilians and police officers.

In addition to the five civilian members, the CCRB will also consist of two police officers in good standing, with one being a supervisory officer and the other a line officer.

All members of the CCRB will be appointed for a two-year term and will serve without compensation.

Dennis Adams is a 30-year Peekskill resident who has served as an Officer in the United States Navy and is currently a Utility Manager for ConEd where he provides expertise in electric distribution construction, operations, and emergency response.

Adams is also a head coach for Downstate Volleyball Club and has been actively involved in the Peekskill City School District as a girl’s volleyball coach.

Jay Buckiewicz has resided in the City of Peekskill for 40 years and worked as a clinical psychologist at the United States Veterans Affairs at Montrose for 37 years until his retirement in December 2020.

He provided individual and group psychotherapy to outpatient and hospitalized veterans and directed services for incarcerated veterans in the New York State Department of Corrections.

Antonio Knott has been a City of Peekskill resident for five years and is currently a Senior Finance Manager for Fair Health, Inc., a nonprofit organization where he leads all finance-related activities.

Knott is actively involved in Peekskill Pride, a nonprofit organization supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, where he serves as a treasurer. He was a co-chair of the Peekskill Police Reform Task Force.

Lisa McClain has been a City of Peekskill resident since September 2022, and is currently a supervising investigator for the New York Department of Corrections. McClain supervises and acts as a Tour Commander in a large unit performing disciplinary investigations.

She is a student at The New School where she is receiving her PhD in Public and Urban Policy.

Harriet Ray has resided in the City of Peekskill for over 29 years and worked as a senior billing expediter for Pulmonary Associates & Critical Care Medicine for twenty-nine years until her retirement in 2016.

She currently serves as a member of the city’s Senior Advisory Board and looks forward to gaining a broader perspective of the legal system.

“I am excited for the appointment of these five individuals to serve on our Civilian Complaint Review Board,” said Mayor Vivian McKenzie. “I look forward to the CCRB finally coming to fruition as our city takes steps to further enhance our police department, improve communications between the police and the community, and provide opportunities for citizens to be heard.”

Students spread holiday cheer with Salvation Army

The Peekskill Salvation Army assisted more than 198 families and 600+ gifts to help them celebrate the Christmas season.

State releases test scores for schools

The New York state Department of Education released the results of standardized testing conducted during the 2022-23 school year on Dec. 14.

Scaled scores were used to determine the student’s performance level, which is based on a four-point scale: Level 1 (below standard), Level 2 (partially proficient), Level 3 (proficient), and Level 4 (exceeds proficiency).

Students needed to score fewer than 65 percent of the scaled points to reach “proficiency.” and in some cases as few as 50 to 55 percent. On the eighth grade math test, 53 percent of this year’s scaled points reached proficiency level.

Proficiency in English Language Arts statewide was 48 percent of all students. In math, 52 percent of students were proficient.

In Peekskill, 26 percent of all students from grades 3-8 tested at the proficient level in English Language and 31 percent reached that level in Math. The best scores by grade were 40 percent in third grade math and 33 percent in fourth grade English.

District enrollment figures show that 74 percent of students are Hispanic or Latino, 15 percent are Black or African American and 6 percent are White with the balance multiracial or Asian.

Music teacher John Hahn retiring

John Hahn is retiring from the Peekskill School District at the end of the school year. Hahn taught concert band, music technology/digital recording, and intro to guitar at Peekskill High School.

Hahn’s long first career as a professional musician began as a high schooler in the Boston area including Broadway shows at the Schubert and Colonial Theaters, Brass quintet concerts outside Faneuil Hall and sessions at recording studios for commercials and albums.

After college he went on the road playing tours of Broadway shows in Europe and Asia. After seven years of touring, he was asked to debut “Miss Saigon” on Broadway with the show that ran for 10 years (5,000+ shows).

Right before “Saigon” closed, he moved on to “Jesus Christ Superstar.” When that show closed, he decided to explore another path and pursued his teaching certification, following in the footsteps of his father as an educator. He taught in several local districts before coming to Peekskill.

Naloxone training held at Croton Library

More than 30 people, including first responders and interested residents, learned how to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose through naloxone training on Dec. 18 at the Croton Free Library.

The training was the tenth training State Senator Pete Harckham has held since 2020.

Chris Caulfield, an opioid overdose outreach training specialist with the state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), led the two-hour training session, which focused on both the administration of naloxone, a powerful opioid antagonist best known as Narcan, and instruction in rescue breathing.

Participants at the Croton-on -Hudson training received an emergency kit with two doses of naloxone.

“We’re so appreciative of Senator Harckham and his staff for facilitating this program here in Croton-on-Hudson and all over his district,” said Gwen Glazer, director of Collection Development and User Engagement at the Croton Free Library.

Check schedules for holiday week train times

From Tuesday, Dec. 26 to Friday, Dec. 29, Metro North’s Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines will operate on a modified weekday schedule. On the Harlem and Hudson lines, some morning rush hour trains will not run, and extra trains will run in the late morning.