With more than 42 years of service under his belt, Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider made his last call out of service last week.
Heider officially retired Friday, June 26, following a final call out of service at the Town’s Public Safety Center, where a small ceremony was held in his honor. Jonathan Teale, previous deputy chief, was sworn in as Colonie’s sixth police chief at the Town Board’s Thursday, June 25, meeting.
Four new police officers and three other members of the police department were sworn into duty and promoted at Thursday’s meeting, including previously Lt. Michael D. Woods as Deputy Police Chief.
“Frankly, folks, I’m here to say goodbye,” said Heider at the town board meeting. “It is something that I feel very proud of doing, and something that I’m very comfortable doing. I started here as a dream back when I was 18 years old.”
He announced his retirement in late April after more than 42 years of service with the Colonie Police Department. He began in 1973 as a public safety dispatcher, then becoming a patrol officer one year later.
It wasn’t until July 7, 2003, that Heider became the fifth Chief of Police since the department formed in 1934.
“At the end of the day, I’ve had a blast….There have been good days, there have been great days, and there have been bad days. I buried two of my closest friends while on the job,” said Heider.
In his years of service, Heider served as president of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc., a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and positions for the Northeastern Chiefs of Police Conference, among serving on several criminal justice initiative committees.
Heider also served to help victims of child abuse and juvenile justice as a member of the Albany County Task Force on Child Abuse and a charter member of the Steering Committee for the formulation of the Child Advocacy Center for Victims of Child Abuse in the county.
“I don’t know if retirement is the right word. It’s a new journey. There’s so much to be thankful for, there’s so much to say thank you to you for,” said Supervisor Paula Mahan to Heider.
Teale thanked Heider for his service and guidance as he was sworn in as the sixth Chief of Police. Previously Deputy Chief Teale, he served with the department for 25 years, most recently overseeing the Administrative Services Division. There, he oversaw supervision, departmental training, community services and the 911 Dispatch Center.
In his years, Teale has been investigator, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, patrol lieutenant and administrative lieutenant.
Michael Woods, a 23-year veteran of the department, took his oath as the deputy chief and will take over Teale’s previous roles in the Administrative Services Division.
Four newcomers were also appointed as police officers. Ryan DeJordy, 29, Mark Garhartt, 23, Kyle Keane, 28, and Ian Kelly, 25, celebrated their appointments to the Colonie Police Department. Jason Bach was promoted police sergeant and Todd Weiss to police lieutenant.
“It’s really a very important time,” said Mahan. “We’re ready to do what we need to do, and we’re confident we made the right choices.”
