Former special agent hired for role
Putnam County has named Christopher Shields of Philipstown as director of the Office of Emergency Management.
Shields, who reports to Robert Lipton, the commissioner of emergency services, is a former special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and spent six years as a U.S. Capitol Police special agent. He succeeds John O’Connor, who left in early 2023. The position has been vacant since.
The director is responsible for emergency management plans and the operation of the Emergency Operating Center. Shields began the job on Feb. 13, the day a snowstorm hit the area.
