Joined by friends, family, and local government officials on Aug. 27, Judge Frank Navarra’s portrait was unveiled and hung in the Joseph L. Thomson Courtroom in Cornwall’s Town Hall. Navarra retired in January after 28 years on the bench.

“It was time for me to go,” Navarra said, “but bail reform, for me, was the final straw. When they [the state] instituted bail reform, they took 90 percent of the discretion away from judges and that, to me, went way too far. They removed our ability to set bail on people on 75 percent of the charges. They essentially said we’re not smart enough to use discretion to know what’s an appropriate bail. In the press, it was suggested judges were setting high bail on people who couldn’t afford it and that was 100 percent false. I felt sometimes setting $100 bail was the equivalent of setting $10,000 bail on a person of means. We used discretion all the time to know what was appropriate. Not to punish the person arrested before they were found guilty, but to ensure their appearance in court, which is all that bail was for. They removed all that discretion and that to me was a bridge too far.”

The lifelong Cornwall resident, who now resides on Orange Lake, graduated from Cornwall High School and attended Orange County Community College before earning his bachelor’s in history and political science from Mt. St. Mary College. He later received his master’s in criminal justice from Long Island University and obtained his law degree from the University of Bridgeport.

Navarra settled into a career as a police officer, unable to find another job. He enjoys telling people he “was a cop for 18 years and never had a bad day. I’ve been a lawyer for 34 years and every day is a bad day. I loved being a police officer.”

He served the City of Newburgh until an accident put him out of commission for four years.

Having attained the rank of deputy police commissioner, Navarra was heading back to headquarters on a coffee break while his sergeant was driving. A female driver came down a one-way street and crashed into the car, knocking Navarra out of the window. He ended up with a fractured skull and herniated discs in his back and neck and lost part of his hearing. His driver ended up retiring, but Navarra, following a second back operation, eventually ended up as an officer in the Cornwall-on-Hudson Police Department before taking a job as chief in the Town of Marlboro for five years.

As a police officer, Navarra rarely wrote traffic tickets. He estimates he never reached 100 tickets.

“I always felt sorry for people. I thought a warning was adequate, but there were times where I had to write a ticket.”

Giving folks a second chance became a mantra for his entire professional career.

After passing the Bar, Navarra became a defense attorney, but only lasted a year because he didn’t find it enjoyable. Instead, he settled into a 22-year career as a personal injury attorney with Finkelstein & Partners, retiring 12 years ago. He enjoyed helping people who were injured and found it was easier to relate to them because of his own personal experience.

Following his retirement, he taught at Mt. St. Mary as a visiting assistant professor for two years, teaching business law.

In 1995, Navarra decided to run for judge in Cornwall because he felt he could be fair and impartial. He knew the people in town and had an interest in preventing young folks, those 21 and younger, from getting a criminal record.

“I did a lot of that over the years, particularly when the marijuana laws were in effect. I diverted hundreds of teens to programs, [including] a jail tour and community service. I dismissed charges with the approval of the district attorney’s office. I made sure they ended up with no criminal record. I don’t ever recall anyone coming back a second time after I diverted them.”

Although he couldn’t share details of specific cases which came before him, Navarra said he had individuals visit him, to thank him for wiping minor charges from their record. They were able to successfully join the military as a result.

“I’m really proud of what I did with regard to alcohol and drug related cases. I was doing diversions long before New York State decided to pass laws to divert youngsters with small amounts of marijuana or other drugs. I recognized how that could really impact a person’s lifetime, having that record. At 18, 19, or even 20 years of age, they don’t know what they’re going to want to do five years later. I saw it as a police officer and even as chief. If they had a criminal record, I couldn’t hire them. I had people come to me wanting jobs and I couldn’t help them.”

Besides focusing on fishing, biking, and spending time with his grandson, Navarra currently works one day a week in the City of Newburgh as the hearing examiner for the parking violations bureau.

Navarra’s portrait is the second to be hung in Cornwall’s courtroom and he takes great pride knowing it’s in good company next to the one of Joe Thomson, who died in his 48th year on the bench. Navarra worked with Thomson for 18 years and the two had just been re-elected when he passed.