SCHENECTADY — Police Chief Eric S. Clifford is looking forward to retirement and spending more time with his family, confident that he leaves behind a police force with capable leaders who will help the department continue to flourish.
On a bitterly cold Friday afternoon, Clifford, with his wife Jennifer by his side, departed police headquarters on Liberty Street for the last time in an official capacity during a ceremonial walkout ceremony. Mayor Gary McCarthy, during an earlier retirement ceremony before a packed house at the Hellenic Center, presented the veteran lawman with the Schenectady Patroon Award, the highest honor Schenectady hands out.
Clifford said during a recent interview that one of the things he’ll miss most about the job is having a “front row seat to the greatest show on earth,” borrowing a popular phrase that describes the unique and intense nature of police work…