by Rachel Hunter

The Village of Gouverneur Board of Trustees at its Feb. 20 meeting approved the hiring of a part-time police dispatcher.

Upon the recommendation of Village of Gouverneur Chief of Police Darren Fairbanks, the Village of Gouverneur Board of Trustees approved hiring Lia Canell of Gouverneur in the position of part-time police dispatcher.

The topic was raised by Village of Gouverneur Mayor Ron McDougall, who read the recommendation letter, dated February 14, 2024, written by Chief Fairbanks to the Village of Gouverneur Board of Trustees and Mayor Ron McDougall, as follows: “The Gouverneur Police Department currently has 48 hours per week when there is no police dispatcher, and those hours must be covered by the current full-time staff with overtime. The Village of Gouverneur currently has one part-time dispatcher on its roster, however their availability has changed due to gaining full-time employment elsewhere. We have identified a candidate Lia K. Canell, 18, of Gouverneur, NY, who meets the qualifications for such position. I am seeking the board’s approval to offer a part-time, non-competitive dispatch position to Lia K. Canell. I ask that Lia’s hiring be effective immediately so said arrangements can be made to begin her training, a minimum of 80 hours, as soon as possible. I ask the board to waive the pre-employment physical requirements. Ms. Canell will be required to undergo electronic fingerprinting at the expense of the Village in the near future. Thank you for your time and consideration.”

After some discussion, the Village board approved Ms. Canell’s hire, effective Feb. 26.

The next meeting of the Village of Gouverneur Board of Trustees will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 6 p.m., in the municipal courtroom. For more information, call the Village of Gouverneur at 315-287-1720.