Cold Spring Officer Launches Campaign for Sheriff

Plans to challenge Putnam incumbent as independent

Larry Burke, a former officer-in-charge for the Cold Spring Police Department, has announced a campaign to challenge incumbent Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville in the fall election.

Both men live in Philipstown. Burke said he plans to collect signatures for a nominating petition by a May 27 deadline to get on the ballot as an independent. McConville is seeking his second, 4-year term on the Republican and Conservative lines. 

Burke, 59, has worked in law enforcement for 37 years, including 26 years with the New York City Police Department. He joined the Cold Spring department in 2013 and served as officer-in-charge for seven years. He resigned in 2024 but continues as a part-time officer. Burke has also served as a firefighter with North Highlands Fire Co. for 12 years.

He spoke with The Current on Thursday (May 1). His responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

What was your role with NYPD?

I was a transit police officer for five years, riding and patrolling the subways in all the boroughs, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. After that, I did regular patrols in the 40th precinct, South Bronx, for two years. I moved to the community policing unit, where you patrol a five- to 10-block area. 

You get to know people, the residents, store owners and the bad guys. You learn about cultures; that people from Colombia, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic are different culturally in how they bring up their family, how they do certain things. It’s how I learned community policing. You get into people’s lives, understand them, understand their kids, understand where they’re from. They might distrust the police because the military may have run the police department [in their native countries]. It was a learning experience for me, a white police officer in a predominantly minority neighborhood. It was good. It was about gaining friendships and mutual respect.

There must have been culture shock coming to Cold Spring.

The crime was a lot less than what I dealt with before! One school, one neighborhood, stores on Main Street. You get to know people a lot quicker. I was experienced but still had to start on midnights. I found it a little hard to adjust to seeing three deer in the middle of the street but no people at 2 a.m. When I started day shifts, I got out of the patrol car, started walking, got to know the community.

Is being an officer-in-charge enough experience to be sheriff?

I had to run a small police department. I knew how to be a patrol officer, but I didn’t know about budgets. I didn’t know about manpower. I didn’t know how to deal with the county, the state. I learned a lot in seven years. I went through seven budget processes, learned what we could and couldn’t afford, what to fight for, what to let go until the next cycle. I learned about hiring people and letting people go. 

As my responsibilities increased, it built my confidence. I did the administrative work and I know I can do that with the county. I will reach out and hire a staff with expertise in the civil unit, the corrections unit, captain of patrol, captain of communications and other positions. I want to surround myself with intelligent people who know the police world. I want mutual support and to do the best job I can.

Is running as an independent realistic?

It is to me. There should be no politics in policing whatsoever, especially with today’s atmosphere. Everyone’s fighting at the national, state and county level. I’m a police officer and a volunteer firefighter. We don’t look to see who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican. We serve. I knew it was going to be hard running as an independent, but I’m not going to push one political party or another. And no one should run unopposed. 

Why should residents vote for you?

I’ve dealt with Sheriff McConville personally. I’ve been in meetings with him, along with the chiefs of other police departments in the county, and what I’ve seen is division. It’s his way or the highway. That doesn’t sit well with me. And I hear it from the deputies when I’m backing them up on calls. They are not happy; they’re telling me morale is the lowest it’s ever been. We’re all in law enforcement together, and we should be working together. I want to bring that back.

On a personal level, why are you running?

I was put on this Earth for a reason, to go as far as I can. I still have a lot of fight in me, to make this a better place, to serve the public. I took up firefighting later in life. I like a challenge and I would make a really good sheriff. A friend approached me when I was considering running. He said, “How can you sit idly on the sidelines when you know you can do what you need to do?” That made me think hard. Why should I sit on the sidelines?