Mayor Steve Noble is defending the Kingston Police Department from allegations that they failed to adequately investigate a fatal car vs. pedestrian collision that took the life of a 77-year-old man last month. Noble’s statement, issued Thursday afternoon, comes as traffic safety advocates call on the city to do more to prevent similar incidents and hold drivers accountable for them.

Gary White, 77, died at Westchester Medical Center on Saturday, Dec. 28, eight hours after he was struck by an SUV while crossing Broadway near Orchard Street. The incident occurred at 5:38 p.m. as White crossed Broadway from the Dairy Mart at the corner of Orchard Street towards Rondout Savings Bank. Police say White was not in the crosswalk when he was struck by a 2020 GMC Terrain driven by Mallory Kitchen, 20. Cops say Kitchen remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police said there was no indication of impairment, distracted driving or reckless driving and she was released without charges.

Criticism of Kingston police has centered on the fact that detectives did not carry out a full accident reconstruction in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Such investigations are routine in traffic incidents involving fatalities. On Thursday, Noble defended the investigation saying that no accident reconstruction was done because initially it did not appear to be a fatal incident.

“Right now, I can say that an accident reconstruction, which is the norm in a fatal crash, was not conducted at the scene because the incident wasn’t initially fatal,” Noble wrote. “Unfortunately, the victim’s injuries were much more severe than were immediately apparent. He was responsive at the scene and died hours after being taken to the hospital.”

Noble said he felt compelled to address “misinformation” about White’s death after hearing from traffic safety advocates who attended his State of the City address at Tuesday’s Common Council.

Noble also used the statement to defend his record on traffic safety. He pointed to recent moves like the city’s adoption of a “safe systems” approach to traffic design which emphasizes cyclist and pedestrian safety and the Common Council’s recent vote to lower the city’s speed limit from 30 to 25 mph. Noble also backed legislation to enable the installation of automated speed enforcement cameras in school zones and included money in this year’s budget to install speed tables and other traffic calming infrastructure.

“I want the community to know that this is a topic close to my heart and top of mind, and one that my administration works tirelessly to support,” Noble wrote. “From the Grants Department that looks for funding opportunities for street projects, the Engineering Department that works with design firms and experts to implement best practices, the Public Works Department that paints our streets and crosswalks, the Health & Wellness Department that leads the Travel Well team and works closely with the Complete Streets Advisory Council, to the Police Department that enforces traffic safety, my staff work toward the goal of safe streets each and every day.”