38-year veteran retires from Westchester County PD

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Lt. Hunt (center) with Commissioner Thomas Gleason, a member of that same 1983 class, and Chief Inspector John Hodges, head of the Investigative Services Bureau. Photo provided by WCPD.

WESTCHESTER – The Westchester County Police Department (WCPD) bid farewell on Wednesday to a 38-year veteran officer.  Retiring Lieutenant Jeff Hunt, according to a WCPD statement was “A great cop, leader, gentleman, and mentor to many officers and detectives.”

Hunt’s contributions to the department are numerous. He served as a patrol officer, patrol sergeant, and patrol lieutenant/tour commander. He also served as a detective, a sergeant in the Narcotics Unit, and, for the last 11 years, Hunt was the commanding officer of the General Investigations Unit.
For 18 years, he was the commanding officer of the Special Response Team — the WCPD’s special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team. He also spent time as the commanding officer of the Westchester County Police Academy and received multiple awards and commendations during his career, including receiving this department’s first-ever Excellent Police Duty medal in 1986.
Lieutenant Hunt began his career in 1983 and was part of the first Police Academy class of rookie officers hired specifically for the Department of Public Safety, which became the WCPD. Prior to 1983, WCPD’s members were comprised solely of officers who had served in the Westchester County Parkway Police and Westchester County Sheriff’s Department, which merged in 1979 to form the WCPD.
Hunt was shot at by a drug dealer during a narcotics raid, was uninjured, and continued the raid with fellow officers.
The WCPD statement praised the veteran cop, saying “We send Lieutenant Hunt off with our deepest respect for his brave and honorable service to this Department and the people of Westchester. His legacy of service will be continued by his son James, a WCPD Patrol officer.”