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Retired Dewitt Police Sergeant New Hamilton Chief

Wed, Oct 13, 2010

Retired Dewitt Police Sergeant New Hamilton Chief

A Central New York law enforcement professional with some 30 years experience is Hamilton's new chief of police.

Rick Gifford, who retired from the Dewitt department as a sergeant and who has been a part-time officer in his hometown of Cazenovia for nine years, starts his new job Monday. The village Board of Trustees approved hiring the 53-year-old Gifford at its meeting Tuesday night.

Gifford said he attended Cazenovia High School and Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. He also attended LeMoyne College before getting into police work.

He began his law enforcement career with the City of Cortland Department. He joked that he holds the distinction of being the first police officer in New York state laid off because of a municipality's financial trouble.

Gifford then worked temporarily for the Fayetteville and East Syracuse departments before joining Dewitt's force in 1981. He retired from there in April of 2001.

Gifford said he was retired just two days before he was asked to join the Cazenovia department part-time.

He said he is a certified accident reconstruction special, firearms instructor and FBI-trained hostage negotiator.

Gifford. who replaces Gary Mlasgar, lives outside Cazenovia. 

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