The Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday, Dec. 30, the appointment of Lt. Robert Hamilton of the Schenectady Police Department as chief deputy to the Sheriff’s Office. Hamilton is replacing Chief Deputy Timothy Bradt, who retired on Saturday, Dec. 31. Bradt was in law enforcement for 40 years and the served last eight years as chief deputy with the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Dominic Dagostino said he was sorry to see Bradt retire, but commended him for his 40 years of service to the community. “(Bradt) has served his community with dignity and honor and we thank him for a job well done,” Dagostino said in a statement. “We are also very excited to have Chief Deputy Hamilton coming on board with us. I believe him to be a tremendous manager with the ability to continue to move our road patrol in a direction that will allow us to expand the types of services we currently provide to the residents of the Schenectady County.” Hamilton was slated to retire on Sunday, Jan. 8, from the Schenectady Police Department. Before his appointment, he served as the traffic division commander for the city police and was a 21-year veteran of the department. County officials cited Hamilton’s wealth of experience and knowledge as well as operational expertise enabling the Sheriff’s Office to achieve its full potential and serve the community with distinction. Hamilton’s duties include overseeing the road patrol and its budget as well as the county’s STOP DWI and Traffic Safety Program. He is also in charge of overseeing new programs and initiatives, which are forthcoming this year from the Sheriff’s Office, according to officials. His other duties include aggressively researching grant opportunities.