BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — Following a charter modification to remove a residency requirement Mark Kearns have been named chief of police.

While councilor John Rishe did oppose changing the residency requirement, he said that decision had nothing to do with Kearns.

Rishe did support naming Kearns to the position following the charter change.

Kearns came with high praise from City Manager Stephen Jellie who actually asked council to consider the residency change.

Jellie noted that Kearns has a lot of experience and has been instrumental in keeping the department operations as interim chief.

Kearns has been with the Ogdensburg Police Department since 2006.

He was instrumental in establishing the Ogdensburg Police Department’s K-9 program in 2014 and serving as the department’s first K-9 handler until 2018. In 2016 he was promoted to Sergeant where he served as a Patrol Sergeant. In 2018 he was reassigned to the Criminal Investigations Unit as Detective Sergeant.

He was then promoted to Lieutenant in 2020 and has been filling in as chief for several months.

He is married with two children. Mark grew up in Massena, graduating from Massena High School in 2003; SUNY Canton in 2005 with an A.A.S. in Criminal Justice; and from the David Sullivan St. Lawrence County Law Enforcement Academy also in 2005.

He began his career as a Police Officer in both the Sackett’s Harbor and Norwood Police Departments from 2005 – 2006.