Hughes to appoint Trombley as police chief
PLATTSBURGH — Mayor Wendell Hughes plans to introduce Plattsburgh City Police Lt. Jarrod Trombley as the city's new police chief Thursday night during a Common Council meeting.
Trombley's appointment, if approved by the council, will likely not be without controversy.
Trombley was suspended and placed on administrative leave in September of 2024 by former Mayor Chris Rosenquest for two charges relating to misconduct, incompetence, insubordination and falsifying the numbers of hours worked, according to city documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request.
Trombley eventually opted to sign a disciplinary settlement agreement with the city before retiring from the department Sept. 20, 2024.
When Hughes took office in January after winning the November election, reinstating Trombley as lieutenant was one of the first moves he made.
In February, the city hired an outside agency to lead an investigation into its police department and last fall's allegations against Tromley. The agency's findings have not yet been made available.
Hughes said he was not worried about naming Trombley as police chief before he had the results of that investigation.
'Fully confident in what we've done at this point,' he told the media at a news conference Wednesday. 'I wouldn't do it if I didn't feel confident.'
'There were some charges that were put on him last year and he chose to retire … he never had his day,' Hughes added. 'But I'm fully confident in what we've done, and I know where we're at with all those allegations. I wouldn't make the recommendation if I didn't feel I was justified in doing it.'
Hughes said he is putting his reputation out there for Trombley, something he wouldn't do unless he knew 'what the facts were.'
'I haven't got a final (report on the investigation), but not to say we haven't got a little oversight in some of what they saw,' he said. 'There's nothing egregious that they saw. We did some secondary stuff on our own, too. I have a new Corporation Counsel, and he was very involved in making sure the city was protected, too.'
Trombley is one of three lieutenants in the department and has effectively been leading it since his reinstatement in January because there is no permanent police chief. The previous chief, Peter Mitchell, retired suddenly in September of 2024 after less than a year in the position.
Shortly after Trombley's return, the search for a new police chief began and the city put out a call for applications.
A committee, consisting of former Mayor James Calnon; Mayor Pro-Tem Julie Baughn; Clinton County Director of Mental Health Richele Gregory; DSS Attorney Patrick McFarlin; Former Village of Champlain Mayor/City of Plattsburgh Councilor Jeff Moore; and retired federal officer Scott Ewing, was formed to review any and all applicants received.
A city news release Wednesday said 'Many inquiries were received and resulted in four Clinton County Civil Service qualified applicants. Two applicants withdrew for personal reasons and two applicants moved on in the process to be interviewed by a Police Chief search Committee.'
The two finalists were Trombley and another person Hughes declined to name when asked Wednesday. Hughes said Wednesday the second finalist was not a member of the Plattsburgh City Police Department.
The search committee held interviews with both candidates on May 7 then the committee met with Hughes and reviewed them.
Hughes said he chose Trombley as his candidate for police chief. Additionally, Hughes is also hoping to appoint Joel Vassar as the department's new captain.
'I expect Lieutenant Trombley will prove to be an exemplary Chief for our City. He has over 20 years with the City Police Department and with the able assistance of our new Police Captain, Joel Vassar's leadership will move the department forward,' Hughes said in a statement. 'I thank them both for their willingness to serve and very much look forward to working with them as we improve Community Policing and assist those in our community facing mental health and addiction issues.'
If appointments are approved by the Common Council during Thursday's meeting in the Common Council Chambers, Trombley and Vassar's new duties will begin May 16.
Hughes said he 'truly' hopes to get full council support on his appointments.
If approved, he said Trombley's appointment would be considered permanent since he has already passed the civil service chief test but he would be on probation for a year. Vassar's appointment would be provisional.
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