Kenmore's top cop retires after 44 yrs

KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Monday marked the last day on the job for Chief Carl LaCorte, who's been on the Kenmore Police Force for 44 years.

Chief LaCorte is retiring and shared his decades of memories on his last day wearing the badge.

"For 44 years, I've come in here every day and loved it. And I've held every job in this place," he said.

And the police chief has heard every story about a tiny village with a big reputation for traffic stops.

Chief LaCorte noted, "All the traffic stops we make...a lot of good arrests come from that. We get a lot of riffraff out of the village."

He makes no apologies for the vigilance of his officers. He says that's what village residents expect and deserve.

"If people do not feel safe someplace, they move. I believe that's what caused the exodus from Buffalo. They're not safe there anymore. So many people from Buffalo are moving into the village because they feel safe," he stated.

But no community is immune from violence. One of Chief LaCorte's most memorable cases involved the murder of a young mother back in 1976.

Amalia Delong confronted a burglar inside her home. When she called 911, police were mistakenly sent to Victoria Avenue in Buffalo - not Victoria Boulevard in Kenmore. The 13-minute delay cost her life.

Chief LaCorte recalled, "She almost got away. She fought so hard, but just as she was going out the side door, he stuck a knife in her neck, and she died right on the side of the house."

He made an arrest in the case three days later and the murder prompted changes in our 911 system.

"This was the catalyst for what they called enhanced 911. Because in the old days, the address did not come up on a screen" Chief LaCorte explained.

Despite brushes with violence, in 44 years the police chief says he only fired his weapon one time. He was a rookie and a suspect tried to run him down.

Chief LaCorte recounted, "It was an old beat up, rusty Valiant; I'll never forget it. I could have punched my fist through it. The bullet didn't go through; it hit the tire. The next day I went out and bought a .357 Magnum!"

The police chief is leaving a department that has 25 officers - down from 33 when he started all those years ago. And that's a source of worry for him.

"Honestly my biggest worry is that we can maintain the resources we have right now so that we can continue the type of enforcement and provide the quality service that we've been providing all these years," he said.

But those worries belong to others now as Chief Carl LaCorte calls it a career - a long career in Kenmore.

"This has been my life. It's been a second family certainly. I'm going to miss it. I loved coming here every single day."

Chief LaCorte says he's ready for some time off. He's been working since he started sweeping floors in a grocery store at age 9. He'll be succeeded by the Assistant Chief Peter Breitnauer.