But Scatola is not leaving law enforcement completely. In the wake of his YPD retirement, he will take on a new role working security management with a Westchester County school district.
“After 20 years, I decided I wanted to continue using the skills I gained through working with the [police] department and apply them to a position with a school district where I can contribute to its security needs,” Scatola said.
Scatola was recently joined by family, friends, fellow officers, and community members outside police headquarters where he was thanked for his service.
Scatola, who was born and raised in Yorktown, began his law enforcement career in 2004 and worked in the YPD Patrol Division for the first 10 years. During that time, he was a field training officer, a general topics instructor, and an FBI-trained hostage and crisis negotiator. Scatola said he used this training for mental health calls where people barricaded themselves in their homes.
As a training officer, Scatola worked with every new field officer from 2006 to 2014. He also worked as an instructor in the department and taught officers emergency management, continuity of operations, and workplace violence and sexual harassment.
In August 2014, he was promoted to sergeant and recalls the pride he felt.
“It was definitely a sense of accomplishment,” he said. “Excitement, pride. I felt like I was following in the footsteps of other supervisors and leaders of the department, and I was excited to put my mark on it.”
With his promotion, he worked as a patrol sergeant for five years and then took over as the town’s emergency manager in 2016 where he ran the Emergency Operations Center during winter storms Riley and Quinn, Hurricane Isaias, and multiple other weather events.
After assuming that role, he joined the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS), the oldest and largest professional security organization in the world. He became a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), board certified in security management, and was the ASIS Hudson Valley chapter vice chair, and is now the law enforcement liaison.
“I liked the professionalism and the extent of knowledge and experience that came with ASIS and CPP,” Scatola said. “Being a CPP is the gold standard for security management professionals, and it allowed me to excel in the school security environment.”
Scatola also supervised the 10 school resource officers who work in the Lakeland and Yorktown school districts. He explained that this position was different from what he was used to as a patrol officer, but he learned a lot about school security protocols.
“I really enjoyed working with [Lakeland superintendent] Dr. Karen Gagliardi and [Yorktown superintendent] Dr. Ron Hattar, and the two-way dialogues we had about safety and security issues,” he said. “They taught me a lot, and I felt like I could give them some guidance as well.”
He also worked to update the police department’s radio systems and was a Counterterrorism Zone “A” mutual coordinator.
Scatola says he will miss the camaraderie of the department and his fellow officers.
“I’ll miss the people, the jokes, the good and the bad times. It is a nice feeling to know that I can always visit the department, and the door will always be open to me,” he said.
Scatola received numerous accolades during his time at the Yorktown Police Department besides his promotions and assignments, including two lifesaving awards (one in 2007 and one in 2009), an excellent police duty award in 2021 for his role in pursuing wanted criminals, and multiple STOP-DWI awards.
“Sgt. Scatola excelled in all tasks and assignments throughout his 20-year career,” Police Chief Robert Noble said. “He did so with a positive attitude, intelligence, and a great sense of humor. He will succeed in any future endeavor and should be proud of his contributions to the Yorktown Police Department and Yorktown community.”
Outside of work, Scatola enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time in the Green Mountains. He also likes to spend time with his daughters, Madelyn and Emelia, and wife, Kristen.
“I’m a girl dad,” he said. “Whether it’s painting their nails or being involved with them at Girl Scouts, music or gymnastics, I enjoy it. And my wife? I appreciate her always standing by me and being amazingly supportive.
“There were plenty of times that I had to leave family functions, leave at all hours of the night, and on the verge of a major storm, but I always knew she would be able to handle it and would always be there waiting when I got home,” he added.
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