Chief Kristen Thorne joined the Elmira Police Department in November 2004. Chief Thorne is currently serving as first in command of the Elmira Police Department. Thorne is a graduate of Corning Community College having earned an AAS degree in Criminal Justice. Thorne is a Police Instructor in the fields of General Topics and Defensive Tactics. In the past, Thorne has served in the positions of K9 Handler, SWAT team Operator, Supervisor in the Detective Bureau, Officer in charge of the Drug Enforcement Unit and SWAT team Commander.
Deputy Chief Scott Packard joined the Elmira Police Department in April of 2003. Deputy Chief Packard is a graduate of Horseheads High School, and attended Rochester Institute of Technology. Deputy Chief Packard attended the Broome County Law Enforcement Academy. Deputy Chief Packard was promoted to Sergeant in 2011 and to Lieutenant in 2016 and has been a supervisor in both the investigative and patrol divisions of the Department. Deputy Chief Packard is a Police Instructor that specializes in the area of Evidence Processing and Photography, having trained over 100 NYS State Certified Evidence Technicians for more than 45 agencies across the state.
Captain Christopher Osiecki joined the Elmira Police Department in 2008 and is currently the commanding Officer of C platoon. Captain Osiecki studied Criminal Justice and Sociology at the University of Delaware and SUNY Cortland. Captain Osiecki is currently the head of the departments Field Training Evaluation Program and Aviation unit (sUAS). Captain Osiecki is a Police Instructor and has run several Field Training Officer schools in Chemung County. Captain Osiecki also initiated the department’s Social Media program and currently administers the department Facebook page.
Lt. Christopher Zelko joined the Elmira Police Department in 2011 and was promoted to Sergeant in 2020. Lt. Zelko most recently served as the Officer in Charge of the Traffic Bureau. During his career, Lt. Zelko has served all three platoons as a patrol officer and as an Investigator in the Detective Bureau. Lt. Zelko served as a Sergeant on C Platoon from 2020 until 2022. Lt. Zelko has been a member of the SWAT Team since 2014 and is currently the SWAT Team Commander. Lt. Zelko is the Officer in Charge of the department’s Community Response Team. Lt. Zelko is an instructor in police general topics and oversees the firearms program for the department. Lt. Zelko is a 2007 graduate of Horseheads High School and holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice
Lt Yuri Charlanow joined the Elmira Police Department in 2006. Lt Charlanow worked on patrol until 2019, when he was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to the Detective Bureau as the Evidence Sergeant. Lt Charlanow became the Commander of the Detective Bureau in January of 2022 and currently oversees the day to day operations of the Investigative Division of the Elmira Police Department. Lt Charlanow has been a Police Instructor, with a specialty in Domestic Violence and Mental Health. Lt Charlanow has been a member and former OIC of both the Crisis Negotiation Team and Police Honor Guard. Lt Charlanow was previously in the United States Marine Corps and worked for Motorola prior to becoming a Police Officer. Lt Charlanow is a 1995 graduate of Elmira Southside High School and holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from Corning Community College.