The Town of Poughkeepsie is located in Dutchess County along the east bank of the Hudson River. The town is approximately 29 square miles and is currently ranked as the 26th largest town in the State of New York. Additionally the Town of Poughkeepsie is home to several major corporations including, International Business Machines Corporation, the South Hills and Galleria Malls, and is a renowned educational center with two nationally recognized institutions of higher learning, Marist College and Vassar College, as well as the preparatory Poughkeepsie Day, Oakwood,
Spackenkill and Our Lady Of Lourdes High schools.

Police headquarters is located at #19 Tucker Drive in a modern twenty thousand square foot facility built in 1996.

The department is a full-time civil service department consisting of 87 sworn officers and 12 civilians. Department operations are under the command of the Chief of Police.

The department provides all police services for the approximately 43,000 full time residents of the Town of Poughkeepsie to include the distinct areas and neighborhoods of, Arlington, Rochdale, Fairview, Red Oaks Mill, Spackenkill and the hamlet of New Hamburg, as well as the countless numbers of daily visitors, business people and shoppers.