Retired Brockport Police Chief Gary Zimmer takes a break from some painting for a photograph. When asked about his feelings regarding retirement he said, "We're doing a little house remodeling and I don't have to jump to respond to a pager. It's good to spend time with my wife and family." Photograph by Walter Horylev.

For many Brockport residents, Gary Zimmer will always be the chief.

Recently retired as Brockport's chief of police after 33 years on the force, past chief of the Brockport Fire Department, and, until July, chief of the Brockport School Board, Zimmer has worn many hats. A big man physically, there hasn’t been a role in the community too big for Zimmer to tackle.

The Brockport community will honor its chief at an open house hosted by the Brockport Fire Department and local service organizations on September 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the West Avenue Fire Hall. A formal presentation to Zimmer will be made at 3 p.m. He’ll be feted again on September 30, this time by fellow law enforcement officers, at a pig roast and chicken barbecue at the Elks Club. Tickets for the dinner cost $25 and must be reserved by September 18 by calling 637-1017.

A native of Brockport, Zimmer grew up on Maxon Street with his younger brother by seven years, Dan, who is the head dispatcher for the village. Their dad continued to live in the Maxon Street homestead until five years ago. Of their mother, Mary, who died in 1976, Brockport resident John Lessord said, "She would do anything for you whether she liked you or not. I think her sons got some of that passed to them."

Gary Zimmer attended the Nativity School, then the seminary at St. Bernard's before earning a bachelor’s degree from St. John Fisher. Although his career interest shifted from the church to law enforcement, "We always ask him to say the prayers at our banquets," said fellow Protectives member Bill Bird, "because he does them so well."

The first chief’s hat Zimmer wore was as Brockport Fire Chief. He joined the department just out of high school in October 1964.

When he married Carol Hay on September 16, 1972, the newlyweds stepped out of the Nativity Church and onto a Brockport fire truck which took them on a ride through the village, a department tradition at that time.

Unlike some volunteer firemen’s wives, Carol knew what she was getting into; her father had been a fire chief in Bergen.

"We kind of always did it together," Carol said. "Gary would go to meetings or do some work down there (the West Avenue fire hall) and I would go with him. I could always find something to do to help. When the kids came along we took them with us. They always accepted it as part of our family life."

Zimmer served as fire chief from 1975-77 and again from 1980-81. During his first term he was one of the youngest chiefs in the state.

Some of Brockport’s biggest modern fires occurred during Zimmer’s tenure as chief – 1 Main Street, the Masonic Lodge, 32 Main Street, the Chinese restaurant in the old Wegman’s plaza, and Nifty Foods, the vinegar factory which burned on a Christmas morning.

Lessord, who served as assistant chief under Zimmer, said, "Gary was always the person in charge, but he was good at delegating. He’d let others do things so they’d learn and take some pride in it."

Most older firefighters agree that the department was different in the 60s and 70s than it is today. There were more shift workers, so more volunteers were around during the day.

"It was like a second family," Bird said. So much so that the guys chipped in to buy Zimmer’s son, Brian, a set of bunker boots when he was just a tot.

During this time, Zimmer was also moving up the ladder in the Brockport Police Department. He was appointed as a full-time officer on December 8, 1967, after having worked part-time for the village. For a long time he worked the 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift - arguably the busiest shift when college was in session.

Zimmer then did meter duty for about four years. That duty moved him to days and he became a standard fixture, pipe and all, on Main Street. "I liked being out talking with the people."

In the late 70s, Zimmer did a short stint as a sergeant. But he eventually gave up the promotion because it put him back on nights. By then the Zimmers had two young children, Cathy and Brian.

In 1983, Zimmer became the juvenile officer, a post currently held by Officer Mark Cyr. It was that duty that kicked off Zimmer’s keen interest in Brockport’s youth and how the community was serving them.

In August 1992 Mayor Jim Stull appointed Zimmer assistant police chief; eight months later he was appointed to the chief’s spot.

Two cases stick in Zimmer’s mind from his pre-chief days. The 1984 murder of a young girl by a parolee who was living in a Viking Way apartment was the most disturbing for Zimmer. The killer and victim met at a Brockport bar and after killing her, the parolee stored her body in his refrigerator. The other case involved the arrest of three young men who seriously injured a college professor on one of a succession of "wilding sprees." The men had copycatted a series of Central Park attacks. "It had the whole community terrified," Zimmer said.

As chief, Zimmer is especially proud of the close working relationship established between the village and the college. By cracking down on underage drinking and house parties, village residents, in general, can enjoy quieter, less threatening neighborhoods, he feels.

Most of all, Zimmer has experienced what few people do in their careers, "Waking up happy to go to work because it was with a bunch of guys that enjoyed working together. I never didn’t want to go in."

Up until the late 1970s the Brockport Police Department was, as Zimmer terms it, "the training center for Monroe County." Recruits would be hired, trained and get a little experience under their belts, then leave for other police departments with higher salaries and better benefits. Once the Brockport department became a union shop, "we’d get officers who would stay."

In 1991, a budget crisis forced the firing of a third of the full-time police staff. When Zimmer took over the reigns, he had to learn to manage a greatly reduced crew whose morale was low. His task was to continue to provide services village residents had grown accustomed to, with fewer assets.

His community involvement was branching out in a new direction, though. Just a few months before Zimmer’s appointment as assistant police chief, he won election as a school board member.

"We were so involved with our kids in school, especially the band," Carol said. "Gary really loved being involved there. He cared about what was going on, that’s why he wanted to be on the board."

Zimmer, who is in the last year of his second five-year term, did a three-year stint as board vice-president, before becoming president. He served as president until two months ago when he passed the hat to Fred Porter. "There’s one agenda on the school board now," he said, "the kids."

His commitment to education is reflected in his children, both of whom are now teachers. Cathy teaches sixth grade at the Mother of Sorrows School in Greece. Brian teaches middle school music at Gates Chili.

Cathy remembers tagging along with her dad to the fire hall or police station. "It was normal to us." Some "duties" became more like "family traditions." The chief and his son had a ritual of putting the barricades up whenever Main Street was to be closed for a special event.

Zimmer’s retirement from the police force this summer didn’t come about as he or his family had envisioned. Following an administrative leave of absence, he was reinstated long enough to accept retirement. Although his family is still angry over the way he was let go, Zimmer’s satisfied that he gave his best to the job.

He fills his days serving subpoenas and summonses for attorneys and courts. He has school board business to attend to. He’s painting the couple’s Carolin Drive home – the home they’ve lived in their entire marriage. And he’s spending time in the community, albeit mostly as a private citizen.

"I’m having fun at things like the Arts Festival," he said. "I can enjoy it, it’s somebody else’s headache now."

As much, perhaps more so than his official duties, it has been Zimmer’s unofficial acts that have endeared him to the community. Whether it’s cleaning out storm drains during downpours to help the department of public works, selling raffle tickets or cooking eats at community events, or checking on elderly village residents in person, Zimmer’s heart has always belonged to the community.

"You will never find, ever, anyone more dedicated to this community," said Brockport Sergeant Doug Ziegler, "be it school board, police chief, fire chief or just walking Main Street smoking his pipe, you will never find anyone more dedicated to Brockport than Gary Zimmer."