Congratulations to Karen Schullere for being named chief of the Auxiliary Police Unit of the Yonkers Police Department, which provides support services to YPD, staffed by professionally trained volunteers with a desire to serve their communities.
Schullere moved to Yonkers in 1976 with her parents and brother. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, Fordham University where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science, and the University of Phoenix where she earned a Master’s of Business Administration graduate degree.
In 1992, she and her mother, Elvina Schullere, bought a house in northwest Yonkers. During her years at Fordham University, Schullere participated in Army ROTC. She traveled to Lexington, Ky., for Army Basic Camp.
Schullere worked in the office of State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins from 2014 to 2018 as a special assistant, and more recently she has worked in the office of City Council President Mike Khader’s as his community outreach liaison where she remains today
Over the years, Schullere has found herself answering the call to volunteer on a regular basis in a variety of different settings. She has bagged countless groceries in food pantries, delivered Meals on Wheels and spent time in various soup kitchens. After 9/11, she volunteered with the Red Cross in a warehouse to pack supplies, followed by time on a ship serving meals to those digging through rubble at Ground Zero.
In the early years of the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club’s public kayaking program, she spent hours teaching the young and young at heart to enjoy the beauty and serenity that is kayaking on the Hudson River.
Other organizations that Schullere has volunteered with are the Sharing Community, Greyston Foundation, the SHARE Food Program, God’s Love, We Deliver, the Salvation Army, Midnight Run, Children’s Village, the Yonkers Parks Department and the Clearwater Festival. In addition, she was a Groundwork Hudson Valley citizen farmer for three years
Schullere was on Mayor Spano’s African-American Advisory Board and his Yonkers Green City Advisory Committee, and served as vice commander and commander of U.S. Coast Guard Flotilla 6-8, formerly in Yonkers.
Today, she is vice president of the Hudson River Community Association, she assists the Yonkers Bike Club to plan and execute its special events such as the Tour de Yonkers and Triyakathon, helps Bike New York teach adults to ride bikes, and volunteers with St. Barnabas Church in Irvington during its annual thrift and clothing sales that support the church’s community outreach programs.
Schullere became aware of the Yonkers Police Auxiliary and began the application process in 2013. She was interviewed and accepted for its next available class in 2017. She attended the Westchester Police Academy in May 2017, graduated and completed her probationary period as a Yonkers Auxiliary police officer in June 2018. On Dec. 4, 2018, Schullere was promoted to sergeant.
Her life work has been to serve those in need, one day at a time.
Mayor Mike Spano congratulated Schullere. “There is no doubt she will lead the men and women of the APU and serve the residents of Yonkers well,” he said.
City Council President Mike Khader added: “As we celebrate Black History Month, I’m proud to honor my director of community outreach liaison Karen Schullere as the first black woman appointed as chief of the Yonkers Police Auxiliary in its 78-plus year history. I can’t imagine anyone better suited for this role and wish her all the best.”
Schullere was honored last December at the Yonkers Human Rights Commission breakfast, where Police Commissioner John Mueller made the announcement that Schullere would be the Auxiliary Police Unit chief, which resulted in thunderous applause from those in attendance.
On Feb. 11, Khader held a ceremony recognizing her promotion, and for making history as the first African-American and woman to hold this post.
The mission of the Yonkers Auxiliary Police Unit is to be prepared and ready to be deployed, as the commissioner of police deems fit, to support YPD by providing supplemental service. The underlying purpose of the organization is to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency. When activated, members serve as peace officers to safeguard the community, to preserve order, and to manage traffic at public functions and events.
Auxiliary police officers are state certified as peace officers with firearms who undergo extensive training on a continuous basis to facilitate their ability to assist the police department. Auxiliary police is a unit of the Field Services Bureau of YPD.
To qualify to be an auxiliary police officer, you must be a citizen of the U.S.; satisfactorily complete a background investigation; live or work in Yonkers; be between the ages of 21 and 55 at the time of application; pass medical, psychological and drug screening; be able to read, write and communicate proficiently in English; have a high school or equivalency diploma; satisfactorily complete all state and local training and requirements for the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services peace officers with firearms training; and not be engaged in a profession or livelihood that constitutes a conflict of interest with law enforcement duties
For more information, email Auxiliary@YPD.YonkersNY.gov, or after downloading an application, mail it to: Yonkers Police Department, Field Services Bureau, 104 S. Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701.
