Brockport police chief takes oath of office

It is the beginning of a new era in law enforcement in the Village of Brockport, Mayor Josephine Matela said during the January 25 swearing in of the new police chief.

"With Chief (Daniel) Varrenti on board, we will be on the cutting edge of law enforcement in Monroe County," she said. "His presence adds an extreme amount of value to our law enforcement team."

Sergeant Philip Miglioratti, of the Multi-Agency Drug Task Force, was Master of Ceremonies at the standing-room only ceremony for the new chief.

Varrenti took the oath of office, administered by the Honorable Michael A. Telesca. Varrenti’s mother, Angela, held the Bible as her son recited his oath to "faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of the Brockport Chief of Police."

"I’m humbled by the presence of everyone here," Varrenti said. "Effective today, the Brockport Police Department is going to be moving ahead."

Varrenti said he can’t promise the department will not falter or make mistakes but he did promise that they would be quick to admit to any shortcomings and work diligently to correct them.

While Varrenti thanked everyone for their support of him, he said it was the sergeants and patrol officers who are the unsung heroes of any police department.

Varrenti replaces former police chief Gary Zimmer who retired earlier this year. His retirement followed a controversial investigation of the department by the Monroe County Sheriff’s office.

"This is a new day in our lives," he said. "I’m not concerned with what happened yesterday. I’m concentrating my efforts on what’s going to happen tomorrow."

Reviewing and perhaps rewriting the standards and rules and regulations for the office will be one of the goals of the new administration, he said. He also wants to move to get the department accredited. Gaining accreditation, he said, lends a sense of professionalism to the department.

Varrenti holds both an associate’s and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice as well as a master’s degree in public administration. He has also attended classes given by the FBI.

He lives in Greece with his wife and two daughters.