Sheriff Candidate Touts Experience; Larry Burke Running as an Independent

Larry Burke

By Rob Sample

A lifelong background in law enforcement coupled with a commitment to building strong ties to the community characterizes Larry Burke’s candidacy for Putnam County sheriff. He is running as an independent.

Burke began his law enforcement career 39 years ago as an officer for the New York Transit Police, transferring soon thereafter to a post as a patrolman in the Bronx – the borough in which he grew up. He later spent seven years as commanding officer for the Village of Cold Spring Police Department, and is currently assistant director of corporate security for Manhattan-based Turner Construction – one of the biggest global construction firms.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” said Burke. “This is my life’s work. I’ve also been a Putnam County resident for the past 21 years. Between dealing with narcotics and drug cartels, I have a wealth of experience to bring to the job.”

One thing that Burke says sets him apart is that he is steadfastly nonpartisan.

“In law enforcement, we go in to serve the people – it doesn’t matter whether you have an R, D, or an I before your name,” he said. “The job has nothing to do with party affiliation. And given the atmosphere of the last couple of years, we have to work even harder to show that independence.”

Burke said most people he has met view his nonpartisan stance as a positive attribute.

“To get on the ballot I got signatures from both sides of the aisle, and knocking on doors gave me an opportunity to hear from people about what they felt the important issues were in this county,” he said. “Regardless of political affiliation, people viewed my campaign positively. And they told me they wanted integrity, accountability, and accessibility in their sheriff’s office.”

In his years with the Transit Authority and the NYPD, Burke was well grounded in community policing – a concept in which officers take time to get to know people in their territories and what concerns them the most.

“We walked around and talked to people every day… even sharing a cup of coffee… to find out what they thought,” he said. “That experience molded me and even in a small village such as Cold Spring, such an approach is important.”

Should he be elected, Burke plans to implement some form of community policing at the sheriff’s office. Simple measures such as attendance at town board meetings can help people from those communities get to know an officer, and give the officer a clue to the important issues in the community, he said.

Burke said the same quality is important in a leader’s approach to managing people on his or her team. “You have to listen more than you speak and never ask somebody to do something you’re not willing or able to do yourself,” he said.

Burke’s said his current role at Turner Construction, while not involving police work per se, has acquainted him with some issues likely to face the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Those include computer crimes and cyber security, as well as physical security for an organization’s infrastructure.

“These elements are especially relevant now, given the horrible killings that have taken place over the past few months,” said Burke.

Both private security people and police officers must also contend with criminal elements that operate on what’s become known as the “dark web.” This part of the internet requires special software and dedicated browsers to reach. Burke pointed out that his police and private security background have given him a strong familiarity with such technological challenges.

Burke noted that the late Sheriff Kevin McConville also started out on the Cold Spring police force. There, the two became colleagues and friends. “I can’t speak highly enough of his law enforcement career, and my prayers go out to his family,” he said.

Burke said he is a strong believer in fiscal responsibility. Within this milieu he praised McConville’s smart choices in navigating federal and state grant processes.

“Kevin did a great deal to secure grant funding for the sheriff’s department through state and federal grants,” he said. “He also helped the department obtain important accreditations from law enforcement agencies.”

These moves, he pointed out, made the sheriff’s department eligible for grant funding it might otherwise not have received. This reduced the department’s own financial obligation for certain initiatives – a financial burden that might otherwise have been borne by local taxpayers.

“Kevin’s approach was akin to what New York Police Commissioner Bratton began back when I was younger,” said Burke, noting that accreditations are commonsense. For instance, safety accreditation is vital from a variety of perspectives in addition to bottom-line concerns. That includes protecting the public.

Burke said he would build on that, with an emphasis on community partnership. Each community is different, he noted, and what might be important to residents of Putnam Valley would differ from a community on the opposite end of the county.

“Working with the schools, school resource officers, and businesses is key,” he said. “If you know the community and the issues and problems it faces, you can create an environment of safety. And this plays a key role in preventing small issues from becoming large problems.”