Commission Honors Sargent Pytko

By Andrew Gorosko

Police Commission members Wednesday night honored retired police sergeant Martin Pytko in ceremonies at the police station.

Acting Police Chief Michael Kehoe presented Mr Pytko with a plaque bearing a gold badge and an inscription honoring him for his 26 years of service on the police department. Mr Pytko retired from the department last year.

Mr Pytko served as the department’s crime prevention officer for 17 years, advising residents and resident groups on measures they could take to prevent crimes such as residential and commercial burglaries. Mr Pytko supervised the department’s neighborhood watch crime prevention program.

For the last eight years of his tenure, Mr Pytko was a patrol division sergeant, working on a rotating shift in supervising patrolmen in the field.

In remarks before the commission and police officers gathered in the roll call room, Acting Chief Kehoe recalled experiences he had had working with Mr Pytko, explaining tips he had gotten from him on how to be an effective police officer.

Mr Pytko said he much enjoyed working in the area of crime prevention, explaining to the public steps that could be taken to avoid crime. He said he liked interacting with young people that he had encountered during his police career, advising them on proper behavior.

“I really miss all the people I worked with, and all the people I dealt with” while working as a police officer, Mr Pytko said.

The former sergeant said that following his retirement from police work, he felt the need to stay active and now works in automobile sales at a dealership in Milford.