Officer Profile: Chief Nikitopoulos
Chief Nikitopoulos joined the Croton on Hudson Police Department in 1986. He grew up looking up to his two uncles who were in law enforcement and being a police officer was something he always knew he wanted to do. Throughout his life he has enjoyed helping people. He grew up in Croton on Hudson, and the Croton Police Department was where he most wanted to work. He likes giving back to the community, making a positive difference, making a difficult situation better when possible, and meeting and interacting with people from all walks of life. Chief Nikitopoulos attended a Westchester college prior to becoming a police officer. He has gained additional college courses through his work and training over the course of his career.
Chief Nikitopoulos has experienced many opportunities and worked in all positions in the Croton Police Department. He started in the Patrol division, promoted to Detective in 1997, promoted to Detective Sergeant in 2008, promoted to Lieutenant in 2017, and was promoted to the Chief of Police in 2020. He was a founding member of the Police Department Dive Team, having gained Dive Master and rescue certification. He worked extensively with the Croton Community Coalition for eleven years, until the Federal funding expired. The Coalition brought members of the community, business owners, politicians and first responders together to focus on keeping our children safe and free of drugs and alcohol. Working with the youth of our community has always been an interest of his. He enjoys interacting with children and their parents as the children grow into adulthood. He oversaw the Police Cadet Program from its founding, working with and guiding younger officers who were involved with the daily interactions with the Police Cadets. He also enjoys mentoring younger officers in all aspects of their careers, and helping them gain confidence, skills, and continuing training. He is an avid supporter of community policing. He believes it is important to get to know our residents and listen to their concerns.
Chief Nikitopoulos enjoys the daily challenges of running a police department. There are three accomplishments he is most proud of during his tenure as Chief.
- Working in collaboration with the New York State mandated Police Reform Task Force, and the Village’s resident volunteer Police Advisory Committee to bring positive change and innovation to his department. He continually strives to make the Croton Police Department the best it can be, and his focus is to always be responsive to his community.
- Overseeing the much-needed building reconstruction of the formerly outdated and out of compliance with New York State regulations Police Department section of the Municipal Building.
- Working towards gaining New York State Police Department Accreditation. This was time consuming and is difficult to achieve, but well worth the challenging work. Accreditation ensures that the Department and its officers are all up to the highest of New York State standards. This is not a requirement for Police departments and not all departments work towards and apply for accreditation. It is a positive accomplishment for his department and the community.
Chief Nikitopoulos’ family is enormously proud of his career choice and all that he has and continues to accomplish. When off-duty, he likes to spend time with his family, do home projects, work on family cars, scuba dive, and travel.
This article was written by members of the Police Advisory Committee as part of the Community Information Project.