Capt. James Fay Appointed Clarkstown Chief of Police

Supervisor George Hoehmann and the Town Board have voted to appoint Capt. James S. Fay, Jr. as the next Chief of Police for the Town of Clarkstown effective April 24, 2026.  The Town Board accepted the resignation of Police Chief Jeffrey Wanamaker, who served as Chief since 2021 and dedicated 39 years to the Clarkstown Police Department. 

Supervisor George Hoehmann said, “I am thankful to outgoing Chief Wanamaker for his many years of leadership and service and look forward to recognizing him later this month.  I am proud to appoint our next Chief of Police James Fay. James is a true public servant with a deep commitment to the police department and our town. The Town Board and I look forward to working with him as we continue to make Clarkstown a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

Capt. Fay has served the Town of Clarkstown Police Department for 32 years encompassing every major operational and administrative facet of the agency. This includes extensive work in narcotics and organized crime, where he served as an investigator with the Rockland County Narcotics Task Force and the Anti-Crime Unit before being selected to establish and command the department’s Street Crime Unit. He also worked in the Juvenile Aid Bureau, where he handled sensitive matters involving family court and crimes against children.

He spent over a decade as a member of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and was a law enforcement first responder at the World Trade Center following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Throughout his career he has supervised patrol operations, the Field Training Program, and Special Operations units including K-9, Traffic, and Anti-Crime.

In addition to his operational command, Captain Fay brings significant expertise in labor relations and departmental management. He served in top executive leadership roles for the Clarkstown Policemen’s Benevolent Association. Currently serving as the Operations Captain, he maintains command oversight of Patrol, the Detective Bureau, and Special Operations.

A lifelong community member, Captain Fay’s local involvement includes serving as a founding member of the Greater Nanuet Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and graduating from Leadership Rockland.