FALLSBURG, NY — The SYDA Foundation announced that Steve D’Agata, chief of police for the Village of Liberty, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 SYDA Foundation Community Service Award (CSA). 

The SYDA Foundation sponsors the award, which was established in 1986.  “The CSA is a community-driven honor celebrating residents whose selfless service and visionary commitment deliver enduring impact on the well-being of their Sullivan County neighbors,” the foundation wrote. 

The award presentation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 18 at 1 p.m. at the Sullivan County Government Center’s Legislative Meeting Room at 100 North St. in Monticello. All are welcome to attend.

The award includes a certificate of merit for outstanding service to the Sullivan County community and a donation of $7,500 to be distributed by the recipient to the charities of their choice.

The honoree is chosen by a dedicated selection committee composed entirely of local civic leaders and past award recipients. The committee selected D’Agata “in recognition of his groundbreaking advocacy for community-centered public safety and his relentless work breaking barriers to care for individuals facing mental health and substance abuse challenges,” the foundation wrote. “Steve is a model of service, and this award amplifies his dedicated and passionate advocacy for community-centered law enforcement and breaking barriers of access to treatment for those suffering mental health and substance use disorders.”

A lifelong Sullivan County resident, D’Agata grew up in Bethel and Monticello. After graduating from SUNY Albany with a dual bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and psychology, he returned to Sullivan County to pursue a career in local law enforcement. He became a police officer for the Liberty Police Department and moved up through the ranks, becoming a detective sergeant, and was then appointed the chief of police for the Village of Liberty in 2021.

As a detective, D’Agata served on the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force. His experiences on the task force “led him to seek out ways to keep people with substance use disorders out of the criminal justice system and into treatment.” He began partnering with Hope Not Handcuffs, a nonprofit organization that connects law enforcement to community organizations that help individuals with substance use disorders to find support. Hope Not Handcuffs currently works with 65 law enforcement agencies across six counties.

D’Agata also secured funding for the Sullivan County Quick Response Team, “which uses a proactive, multidisciplinary approach to reach out within 48 hours to individuals who have overdosed, provide them with harm-reduction supplies and connect them to recovery resources,” the foundation said.

D’Agata currently serves as chair of the Public Safety Council for the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI), a national organization supporting non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. “PAARI bridges the gap between public safety and public health by offering individuals struggling with substance use a pathway to treatment rather than incarceration,” the foundation said.

As a result of the work, Sullivan County has seen a 56 percent reduction in fatal drug overdoses since 2020.

A member of the SYDA Foundation Community Service Award selection committee said that he is “inspired by Chief D’Agata’s compassion and consideration and his ability to relate to everyone as neighbors.”

D’Agata said that he is “honored and humbled to be receiving this highly regarded award” and hopes that it “brings attention to the vital work that is being done in this community to connect people who are struggling to the resources that they need.”

“For over four decades, the Community Service Award has celebrated Sullivan County individuals whose dedication shapes the very fabric of our county, and Chief D’Agata embodies that spirit entirely,” said SYDA Foundation community relations director Monica Silva-Gutierrez. “Steve brings a rare combination of empathy, collaborative vision, and deep humility to law enforcement. His outsized impact has saved lives and fundamentally altered how our community cares for its most vulnerable neighbors.”

D’Agata has chosen to donate the full monetary award to Hope Not Handcuffs.