Chief Gina F. Cocchiara began her policing career in 1994 with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Rensselaer County Sheriff’s respectively. She joined the Bethlehem Police Department in 1998, and has been a resident of the Town of Bethlehem since 2000. Officer Cocchiara started in the Patrol Division, and was later promoted to the rank of Patrol Sergeant in 2008. After spending a number of years working in the Patrol Division, Sergeant Cocchiara was promoted to the position of Detective Sergeant in 2015, leading Detectives in both the Detective’s Office and then the more specialized division, the Community Services Unit. Detective Sergeant Cocchiara was promoted to the rank of Chief of Police in August of 2020, where she currently leads all operations within the Bethlehem Police Department. Chief Cocchiara is the first woman in the history of the Bethlehem Police Department to attain any rank above patrol officer, and most notably the rank of Chief.

Chief Cocchiara was born in Suffern, NY. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration. She is on the Board of Directors for the Zone 5 Training Academy, New York Women in Law Enforcement (NYWLE), and past board member for the FBI National Command Course Association (NCCA), and the Bethlehem Youth Court. Chief Cocchiara is an active member in the International Association of Chiefs of Police, New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, Northeastern Chiefs of Police Conference, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA), and the State of New York Police Juvenile Officers Association (SNYPJOA).

Outside of work Chief Cocchiara enjoys spending time with her partner, extended family and two German Shepherds. She enjoys hiking, riding bicycles, and taking trips to explore new places. Chief Cocchiara is a lifelong New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys fan.