TUXEDO – John Trazino proudly broke into his hometown Village of Greenwood Lake Police Department in the summer of 2001. A few months later, the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, and Trazino was offered a position with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “I wanted to get involved in the war on terror and do some undercover work, which I did (with the Sheriff’s Office),” Trazino said. After an impressive career with the Sheriff’s Office, Trazino is back close to home, serving as the Town of Tuxedo Police Chief and enjoying “community” policing. “It doesn’t make sense to learn all of this stuff and put it on a shiny thing on a shelf,” said Trazino, who was named Tuxedo’s Police Chief in October of 2022. He is a graduate of George F. Baker High School in Tuxedo. “I think I can still be of service and I do like that you can walk into a coffee shop and people say ‘Hey, chief.’ My goal has always been to take whatever expertise and training from the County level and bring it back to the local level.” Trazino served with the Sheriff’s Office for more than 22 years, retiring as Team Leader of the Special Operations Group (SOG). The SOG consists of SWAT operators that provides support to the Criminal Division, Corrections Division, and local law enforcement utilizing capabilities ranging from high-risk warrant execution and active shooter incidents to cell extractions and crowd control. SOG personnel provide training to other police agencies, and they also provide a risk review and training for houses of worship, schools, and businesses. Trazino has been ambitious in Tuxedo, creating a search and rescue team with the Greenwood Lake and Tuxedo Park police departments, which has rescued hikers and apprehended criminals who have fled in the wooded area of that region. He continues to be at the forefront of active shooter training in Orange County and Trazino doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. “My heroes are Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone who are pushing 80 and above and are still active,” Trazino said. “Knock on wood, I’m in good shape, so I am going to keep working. I hit the ground running, and this job makes sense for me right now. I am enjoying myself.”
