On May 23, 2008, Barbara Duncan was sworn in by Mayor Clinton I Young, Jr. as Chief of Police for the City of Mount Vernon. She became the eleventh individual, and the first woman appointed to this office. Chief Duncan was hired as a Mount Vernon Police Officer in January of 1989. She was promoted to Sergeant in 1994, Lieutenant in 2003 and Captain in 2006. During her transition through the ranks she enjoyed assignments as a patrol supervisor; Personnel Officer; Commanding Officer of the Training Unit, Executive Officer of the Support Services Division and Commanding Officer of the Special Operations Division where she had charge of Internal Affairs and Community Out Reach.

As a Police Officer, Chief Duncan was assigned to the routine uniformed patrol and the Patrol Task Force; a plain clothes assignment designed to address quality of life conditions throughout the city. In 1992 she turned down an assignment the Narcotics Unit as she had just been accepted to Pace University, School of Law and attended the evening program. In September of 1994 she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to a Patrol Squad. She then worked a rotating shift while continuing to pursue her law degree and successfully completed her course of study in June of 1996 thereby securing her Juris Doctor.

In 1995 she researched, developed and implemented the Department’s Bicycle Unit. Similarly, in 1999 she instituted the Citizen’s Police Academy, wherein participants are exposed to the various elements of law enforcement in a cooperative and welcoming environment. In 2003 Chief Duncan studied New York City’s “Multi Agency Response to Community hotspots” (M.A.R.C.H.) program, adapted and implemented a similar program in Mount Vernon and successfully disrupted illegal ‘chop shops’ throughout Mount Vernon.

One of her first acts as Chief was a restructuring of the Department in keeping with her commitment she made during her acceptance speech. She created the Youth Division bringing together all youth related assignments which had been dispersed through out the Department. The following units are now housed under this Division; Truancy, Intelligence, Narcotics, Internal Affairs, School Resource Officers, Gang and Gun Officers, Youth Detectives, and Community Out Reach. During the summer of 2008 Chief Duncan reworked the Department’s response to Domestic Violence related incidents. Either a follow-up visit or other contact by a police officer now accompanies each reported incident. Chief Duncan also established a physical fitness program wherein members of service may volunteer to take the physical fitness test according to New York State established guidelines. Officers who successfully complete the test receive an award day. A major accomplishment during her tenure thus far was the research and implementation of the Department’s highly successful Crimestat Program. Crimestat is a collaborative effort which was greatly influenced by the efforts of key personnel within the Department and is now successfully conducted as a result of the labors of Division Commanders and their personnel. This process brings together all of the Department’s various resources on a weekly basis, to review crime reports and promote the best practices theory in solving and preventing crime.

In 2002 Chief Duncan attended and graduated the F.B.I. National Academy’s 210^th Session with an additional “Leadership” endorsement on her diploma. Furthermore, understanding that physical fitness as an essential component of her profession, she also secured recognition in both the National Academy’s Fitness Challenge and the thirty mile Swim Challenge. Lastly, viewing leadership as an integral part of her profession, Chief Duncan completed the West Point Leadership and Command School in December of 2008 as offered by the New Jersey State Chief’s of Police Association.