McConville died at his Cold Spring home Friday with his family by his side, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office. The first-term sheriff had been battling a long, undisclosed illness, which prompted him to drop his re-election campaign earlier this year. He was 68.
Tributes have been pouring in from officials across the Hudson Valley. Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne, a fellow Republican, said McConville “dedicated his life to public service” in a statement. He has ordered all county buildings to lower their flags at half-staff until further notice. Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, meanwhile, called McConville a "man of principle" and courage, while Republican Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino described the loss as "heartbreaking."
"From the time I first met Kevin in the Senate, his kindness, honesty, and dedication to others shone through," said Serino in a statement. "He loved his family, his community, and his work —and he gave everything he had to each."
McConville was a lifelong resident of Cold Spring, and a graduate of Marist College (now Marist University). Before being elected sheriff in 2021, McConville spent roughly 30 years working for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department. Alexander Lindsay, deputy chief of the MTAPD, says McConville was a responder on 9/11, led the 6th District in the Bronx, and became the first officer in the department to rise through the ranks to chief in 2005.
“The MTA has hired chiefs of late that have been ‘outsiders’ — someone from outside of our job that comes to us as a chief already. So I think a lot of people took pride in saying, ‘Oh, this is the guy who came through the ranks of the MTA Police,'" he remembers. "Part of that meteoric rise was his dedication to duty. [He was] someone that was there from bell to bell, from 6 in the morning until 6 at night. Whatever was needed, he was there.”
Lindsay served under McConville as a lieutenant during his stint as chief. Part of McConville's service was defined by his focus on counterterrorism and security in the aftermath of 9/11. McConville also helped lead the MTA’s response after the London and Madrid bombings in the mid 2000s. He created an Interagency Counter Terrorism Team, worked with the FBI and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and launched a canine unit of 50 dogs to boost security on MTA transit.
“I can always remember him saying that the most important aspect to deter crime is ‘viability, visibility, visibility,'" says Lindsay. "He always believed that we needed to be out and visible, and he would say, 'We’ll never know how many crimes we might have deterred by our visibility.'”
Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul thanked McConville for his service in a statement, adding: “We are grateful for his leadership over his three-decade long career — and safer because of it."
In addition to his counterterrorism work, Lindsay says McConville did a lot to improve the facilities and overall officer experience.
“I was able to go to a lot of training classes that helped me develop as a leader that were started by the chief. He’d say, ‘Oh, Al, this is something that you need to go to. Go to this course, go to that course. Build yourself up,'" says Lindsay. "So that was definitely something that he believed in, and I think he believed in building other people up. You know, as they say, a good leader is someone that makes other leaders.”
McConville retired as chief of the department in 2008, and directed security at what is now New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital until 2020. He was elected Putnam County Sheriff in 2021, and spent much of his first term helping the sheriff’s office update its radio communication system, obtain new vehicles, and earn accreditation from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services.
Undersheriff Brian Hess reportedly took over as acting sheriff Friday. Hess was only recently appointed undersheriff, following the retirement of former Undersheriff Thomas Lindhert.
McConville is survived by his wife, Janice, their three children, and two grandchildren.