New safety and quality-of-life concerns are emerging in the City of Newburgh now that their police chief has suddenly resigned.

Just this month, News 12 reported on a double stabbing in the community that left two female relatives fighting for their lives. In that case, the victims’ family alleged City of Newburgh police were aware of escalating tensions within the household and didn’t do enough to prevent it.

And now, the concern is among some community members that department matters and how crime is handled may get worse without a chief, since Anthony Geraci was hired by the Newburgh Enlarged City School District and resigned on Friday.

“My opinion, that guy didn’t know what he was doing, period,” says Rich Farcasse, a business owner in the City of Newburgh.

Newburgh has a history of high crime, but city officials have sought to paint a different picture in recent years and no longer proactively release information about crime to the public.

A look at the department’s Facebook page doesn’t have a single post about crime in seven months, compared to other departments that share information daily.

Geraci resigned amid reports of internal discord and squabbling between the police department and officials at City Hall to take a head security job at Newburgh schools. He begins his new role on Monday.

“I was sad that he was leaving,” says Moleek Murphy, who works at a barber shop next door to City Hall. “This right here is like a better job for him.”

News 12 last spoke to Geraci shortly after he was hired in 2021 during a string of near-daily shootings.

“They keep bringing these outsiders in. They stay for a year or two, screw things up and leave,” says Farcasse.

The chief and other department heads have been unable to speak directly to the media for years after issued so-called gag orders by the city manager, directing all inquiries go through his office.

“I think it’s a shame. Now, we are without a police chief,” says Cynthia Gilkeson, the chair of Newburgh’s Police Community Review and Relations Board. “I don’t know what the future holds for the police in Newburgh. It looks bleak.“