There were no regular paid policemen in Scotia until 1920. In 1917, Floyd J. Parks was given a job as utility man with the Village of Scotia. He worked 24-hour duty and sleeping in, with one day off a month. This man worked in the police department, fire department, and water department; read water meters, painted fire hydrants, rode a motorcycle, and acted as a general policeman.
The first vehicle of the police department was a motorcycle, owned by Parks himself.
At that time, James Ranson was chief of the volunteer police department; through him minstrel shows were produced and enough money was secured to buy a typewriter, desk, fingerprint equipment, and keep the motorcycle in repairs, gas, and oil. The police department ran until 1920 with funds from minstrel shows. There was no such thing as a police budget.
In 1920, A.B. Lawrence was elected president of the Village of Scotia. He decided to have a police department and appointed Parks as the first policeman. A motorcycle was purchased by the Village and a budget for the police department was set up. Within a few years, the police department increased to four men.
“Monty” De Graff was a special constable and truant officer during World War I, and did special duty as director of traffic on the corner of Ballston and Mohawk Avenues on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. At one time he made arrangements with merchants to go around nights and try their doors for 25 to 50 cents a week. This was his only compensation.
After De Graff, Howard Smith took over and was one of the first permanent men on the police force. Phil Kline, Murray Delworth, and George Tripp were the other three members added to the first police force. The first vehicle other than a motorcycle to be purchased was a Chevrolet Coach, secured in 1922 or 1923.
On April 10, 1931, William F. Cassidy was appointed Police Chief of Scotia after resigning from the New York State Police. Chief Cassidy retired in 1953, and John Quinlin was appointed chief, a post which he held until his death on February 22, 1972.
In 1954 the department had eleven men and was increased to thirteen in October 1957. April 1968 brought the appointment of Leo Strong Jr. as Deputy Chief, until the death of Chief Quinlin when he was appointed Chief. On April 15, 1972, Charles Myers was appointed Deputy Chief until he retired in June 1974. Sgt. William Stearns was appointed Deputy Chief on June 22, 1974.
Leo Strong Jr. held the Chief’s position until he retired September 1, 1976. William C. Stearns took over following Chief Strong’s retirement and held the position until his retirement on August 1, 1981. William Benosky was promoted to Deputy Chief serving under Chief Stearns. When Chief Stearns retired, D/C Benosky was then promoted to Chief. John Loffredo served as Deputy Chief while William Benosky was chief. On August 6, 1994, Chief Benosky retired. John Loffredo served as Acting Chief until his retirement on October 31, 1994. Police Captain Paul F. Boyarin from the Schenectady Police Department became the next Chief for the Village of Scotia on November 1, 1994. John Pytlovany was promoted to Deputy Chief on January 20, 1995. Chief Boyarin retired on June 14, 1997, and was succeeded by D/C Pytlovany who served until his retirement in February 2010. Sergeant Thomas Rush became acting chief in March 2010 and served in that capacity until September 2011. Peter Frisoni was appointed in September 2011 and held the position until his retirement in September 2019.
Sergeant Daniel Harrigan was appointed to lead the Village of Scotia Police Department on October 13, 2019, and served until his retirement in October 2024. During his tenure, Chief Harrigan reintroduced the School Resource Officer program and implemented a community policing model that strengthened relationships between officers and residents.
In November 2024, Sergeant Adam Halbfinger, a 17-year veteran of the Scotia Police Department, was appointed Chief of Police. Check out our newly added “Announcements, News, and Updates” tab, to keep up with on-going modernization efforts within the Village of Scotia Police Department.