Trazino returns to his roots as Tuxedo’s police chief

TUXEDO – John Trazino proudly broke into the police station in his hometown of the Village of Greenwood Lake in the summer of 2001.

A few months later, the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred and Trazino was offered a job with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

“I wanted to get involved in the war on terror and work undercover, which is what I did (at the sheriff’s office),” Trazino said.

After an impressive career with the Sheriff’s Office, Trazino is back close to home, serving as the Police Chief for the City of Tuxedo and enjoying his work as a “community police officer.”

“There’s no point in learning all this stuff and then putting it on a shiny thing on the shelf,” said Trazino, who was appointed Tuxedo police chief in October 2022. He is a graduate of George F. Baker High School in Tuxedo. “I think I can still be of use, and I like that you can walk into a coffee shop and people say, ‘Hey, chief.’ My goal has always been to bring the expertise and training from the county level to the local level.”

Trazino served with the Sheriff’s Office for more than 22 years and retired as a team leader of the Special Operations Group (SOG). The SOG is comprised of SWAT personnel who support the Criminal Division, Corrections Division and local law enforcement agencies, using skills ranging from executing high-risk warrants and shootings to cell extraction and crowd control. SOG personnel train other police agencies and also provide risk assessments and training to houses of worship, schools and businesses.

During his time with the Sheriff’s Office, Trazino, 52, was known for his professionalism and intensity. He’s still sharp-tongued, but the adrenaline level of negotiating with a suspect barricaded in a house is different than some of his assignments at Tuxedo.

Trazino was ambitious in Tuxedo, forming a search and rescue team with the Greenwood Lake and Tuxedo Park police departments to rescue hikers and apprehend criminals who fled in the region’s wooded areas. He continues to be a leader in active shooter training in Orange County, and Trazino has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“My heroes are Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, who are approaching 80 and still active,” Trazino said. “Knock on wood, I’m in good shape, so I’m going to keep working. I’ve hit the ground running and this job makes sense for me right now. I’m having fun.”