Sheriff Smith Appoints Paul Boscia as Undersheriff

Sheriff Smith Appoints Paul Boscia as Undersheriff

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith announces that he has named Paul Boscia as the new Undersheriff of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Boscia’s appointment fills a vacancy in the position following the untimely death on November 15, 2016 of the previous long-time Undersheriff, Peter Convery. Mr. Boscia’s official appointment as Undersheriff will commence on February 6, 2017 and is effective through the remainder of Sheriff Smith’s current elected term of office, which runs through December 31, 2017.

Mr. Boscia’s appointment caps a 28-year career in the Sheriff’s Office. He began his career with Putnam County as a correction officer in 1988. He was appointed as a deputy sheriff in 1989 and assigned to the Patrol Division, later becoming a K-9 officer. In 2000, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and in 2007 he was temporarily designated at the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Patrol Division during a vacancy in the patrol captain’s position.

Mr. Boscia was promoted to the rank of First Sergeant in 2008, a position he held until his retirement from the Sheriff’s Office last month. He received several letters of commendation during his career, including an award for negotiating the surrender of a barricaded man, another for peacefully disarming a suicidal man armed with a knife, and a lifesaving award for aiding a heart attack victim. A firearms instructor, he and other instructors were commended for improving the firearms training program of the Sheriff’s Office.

In addition to his long police service, Mr. Boscia has served his country in the Air Force, first serving as an active member for ten years before joining the Sheriff’s Office and then continuing as a member of the Air Force Reserve until retiring in 2006 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Mr. Boscia holds a bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He and his wife, Regina, reside in Putnam County, where they have raised their four children.

“The death of Undersheriff Peter Convery left a big hole in our hearts and it also left big shoes to fill in leading the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and in serving our citizens,” said Sheriff Smith. “I am grateful to Paul Boscia and to his wife, Regina, for temporarily putting their retirement plans on hold and for answering the call to duty for the people of Putnam County,” he said.

Following the Sheriff’s announcement, Mr. Boscia said that he is “honored by the Sheriff’s appointment” and that he is “privileged to serve as his Undersheriff.” Mr. Boscia went on to express confidence that his long experience in the Sheriff’s Office will enable him to serve the County well in his new role: “The Sheriff is an outstanding leader and I am prepared, together with the very capable command staff of the Sheriff’s Office, to assist him in fulfilling our mission to serve and protect the community with professionalism and dedication,” he said.

Author: Harlem Valley News