Two veterans of city police department retiring

Deputy Chief John Wallace and Officer Michael Ryan will bring their careers to a close next week.

“He has been, truly, not only a friend but ... someone who I could go to for advice.”

— Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti, on Deputy Chief John Wallace

KINGSTON, N.Y. » Deputy Chief John Wallace and veteran Officer Michael Ryan are retiring from the Kingston Police Department.

Wallace will retire effective Friday, March 26, after nearly four decades of service to the city. Ryan’s retirement date is Monday, March 22.

Police Chief Egidio Tinti said Wallace, his second-incommand “will be sorely missed.”

“He has been, truly, not only a friend but ... someone who I could go to for advice,” Tinti told the Kingston Board of Police Commissioners during an online meeting Wednesday. “He has institutional knowledge and he has a level head.”

Wallace joined the Kingston Police Department in April 1983. In 1988, he was promoted to detective and then became a patrol sergeant in 1990. He later served as a detective sergeant and detective lieutenant before being promoted to deputy chief in 2001.

Mayor Steve Noble said he appreciates all the work Wallace has done for the police department, and he wished him well in his retirement.

“He has been nothing but a stable partner in the work that we’re doing,” the mayor said.

Noble said the police commission will discuss appointing Wallace’s replacement in the next month or so.

Tinti said three lieutenants in the department have taken the deputy chief exam and are awaiting the results. They are Detective Lt. Thierry Croizer, Lt. Cliff Tremper and Lt. Michael Bonse.

“I anticipate that all three of them will do well,” Tinti said.

Tinti said Ryan came to the police department in March 1996 from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and “has been an incredible asset.”

Ryan served in the U.S. Air Force and was a member of the police department’s Emergency Services unit, Tinti said. He said Ryan also was an instructor for the police academy.

Ryan and Tinti attended Onteora High School together, Tinti said.

“He has been not only a friend but an incredible police officer,” the chief said.