Suspended Hudson Valley Cop Accused of Harassing Local Woman

A police officer who's suspended for posting a controversial rap that supported Donald Trump, called for Hillary Clinton to be killed and was allegedly transphobic is accused of harassing a local woman.

In June, a New Paltz police officer who identified himself as Rob Sisco posted a video of himself rapping in uniform that led to many complaints from Hudson Valley residents.

"There’s only two genders and Trump’s still your president. Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina. This whole coronavirus was sent here from China. Hillary is Killary we all know the reason. Where those emails at? We should hang her for treason," Sisco says in the video which was obtained by Hudson Valley Post.

Town of New Paltz officials said town board members and the Town of New Paltz Police Department received many complaints about the video.

"Every day I go to work and I put on a badge. But I’d rather use my words than resorting to violence. Cause I’d rather talk to y’all than a blue wall of silence. And we all bleed red, whether white, black or brown. But we need to get together and shut this (expletive) down. Stop lootin’, stop shootin’, stop fires and threats. It only takes two people. I’m first so who’s next?" Sisco goes on to say in the video.

After the video went viral, Jennica Cochrane filed a complaint about the video and alleged on Facebook Sisco is the same cop who pulled her over about five years ago while she was jogging "to give me his number," Cochrane told Hudson Valley Post.

In October, Town of New Paltz Town Supervisor Neil Bettez confirmed to Hudson Valley Post Sisco kept his job after an arbitrator didn’t consider the video a "fireable offense."

Sisco started serving an unpaid 90-day suspension starting Oct. 25 and will be on probation for four years, or as Bettez called it a "last-chance agreement" where he can be fired if he has a repeat offense during the next 48 months.

In November, while suspended from work, Sisco is accused of calling Cochrane several times.

"He decided to call my phone repeatedly in November to confront me about it. He also threatened me with his lawyer," Cochrane told Hudson Valley Post. "He keeps coming at me. I have no idea how he could’ve gotten my number and that shouldn’t be acceptable at all."

Cochrane told us Sisco called her at least three times in November and left her a voicemail.

"It bothers me every single day. I never know when he will pop back up and he has no business working for our town," Cochrane said.

New Paltz Chief of Police Robert Lucchesi confirmed to Hudson Valley Post the police department is aware of both allegations Cochrane has made about Sisco, adding investigations into both are ongoing.

"We are aware of the contact that Officer Sisco had (with Cochrane) in November. It is something we are looking into," Lucchesi said. "The calls were recently spoken about during a commission meeting. The officer did not get the contact information from the police department. This is still an open investigation."

Lucchesi and New Paltz Town Supervisor Neil Bettez both told Hudson Valley Post they don't know how Sisco got Cochrane's number.

"Officer Sisco did not get her number from the police department. Those records are sealed. (We are) concerned about that," Bettez said.

Both also told us they haven't been able to talk with Sisco about the November calls because he is still on suspension.

Sisco's "last-chance agreement" means he can be fired if he's found in violation of any police department procedure, Bettez confirmed. He says Cochrane's allegations are still being investigated.

"Now it goes back to an arbitrator. So if this turns out to be an issue, he would be liable to it," Bettez told Hudson Valley Post. "This last chance agreement is very strict. The board asked that he be fired. We were not able to fire (him). We were told it was not going to rise to that level of offense. The best that we could get out of this was this last chance agreement."