One of the longest tenured police officers in my memory will be retiring soon just two months shy of 40 years on the job.
Rotterdam Sgt. Carl LaMalfa will close out his career Jan. 4. "Nobody in our department ever came close to that longevity," LaMalfa said.
Lengthy police tours are a thing of the past, he said, with cops in more recent times generally retiring after 20 or 25 years.
"All together I worked for five chiefs and outlasted all but present Chief Jim Hamilton," he said.
LaMalfa, 62, received a Purple Heart during a one-year Vietnam tour. He was appointed to the Rotterdam department shortly after his discharge.
"I liked the Army and was thinking seriously of rejoining, but ultimately I opted for the police job," he said. His retirement dinner is Jan. 9 at Mallozzi's Banquet House.