LIBERTY — It was a proud moment for members of the Liberty Police Department (LPD) at the village board meeting on Thursday, September 2.

Family and colleagues of LPD Sergeant Austin Sauer were in attendance to celebrate his promotion to Detective Sergeant.

“It is Sergeant Sauer’s intense work ethic and superior investigative skills that bring him into this new position today,” said Liberty Police Chief Steven D’Agata. “Throughout the course of all of his duties, Sergeant Sauer has shown an aptitude for interviewing victims and witnesses to crimes and for lawfully obtaining court admissible confessions from suspects. His intense passion for public safety has resulted in hundreds of exemplary arrests.”

Sauer previously worked for the New York State Department of Corrections. He worked in the state prison system for two and a half years before being hired by LPD in 2016. As a patrol officer, Sauer received commendations for leading the department in DWI enforcement in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2018, Sauer was recognized by LPD with an honorable service award for his investigative work and apprehension of a suspect who had broken into over 50 vehicles throughout a residential neighborhood in the Village of Liberty. Sauer has served in many roles throughout the department, including firearms instructor, general topics instructor, bicycle patrol officer and the department’s public information officer in change of managing their Facebook page.

Sauer’s promotion fills the vacancy created when Chief D'Agata was promoted from the position of Detective Sergeant to Chief of Police in April of this year.

“Among other duties, it is the detective sergeant’s responsibility to investigate the most serious crimes occurring in our jurisdiction and to arrest the most dangerous offenders,” Chief D’Agata said. “The position carries with it an enormous amount of responsibility, including being second in command in the department and discharging the duties of my office in my absence.”

Detective Sergeant Sauer was sworn in by Village of Liberty Mayor Ron Stabak with his family by his side.