By Carol P. Bartold      

Apr. 22, 2015:  When Sergeant Alton Gray and Police Officer Brenton Dorre retire from the Bronxville Police Department, they will take a combined forty-one years of law enforcement experience and knowledge of the village with them.  

Sergeant Gray, with 22 years on the Bronxville force, officially retired on March 24, and Police Officer Dorre will retire on June 5 after a 19-year career in Bronxville.  

"These are two of the finest men I know," said Mayor Mary Marvin. "The village is losing two terrific police officers and two gentlemen." She added that in her entire time in village government, she never heard a negative word spoken about either man.  

Both officers came to Bronxville after serving in the White Plains Police Department. Gray, a career police officer, studied criminal justice at Iona College and noted that, during his years on the city force, crack cocaine made its first appearance and became a significant problem. "It was a much busier department," he said. "There was more crime."  

Gray decided to move to a smaller department in hopes of finding opportunities for more community policing. He found that in Bronxville. "You get to know more of the community," he said, "the residents and the merchants. I didn't sit in the office all day. A lot of the time I was out on the road."  

Dorre, a broadcast journalism major at Keene State College in New Hampshire, came to police work through the medical field. He worked in a group home as a medical counselor. He said he was drawn to police work in search of a secure career during an economic downturn. "I'm a people person," he said, "and I wanted an opportunity where you didn't know what would happen every day."

 Dorre found all of that in Bronxville and said that the one thing he will always take with him is the relationships he formed with the people in the village. "They made the job memorable for me," he said, "because I had the opportunity to interact with such nice people." He also said that young adults he knew as children and teenagers 20 years ago still know him by name.  

Gray reflected that technology is the most significant change he has experienced in his career as a police officer. Advances in technology, he explained, have allowed the elimination of paper traffic tickets as well as reports that police officers formerly had to write by hand. Officers print tickets from the computers in their patrol cars and relay their reports to the desk sergeant.  

Looking forward to retirement, Dorre will remain in New York for a year until his younger daughter graduates from high school. Then he plans to move to Florida. In the meantime, "I'll be able to get some sleep and live normally a bit."  

Gray noted that he plans to take his wife on a vacation. "She put up with me for 22 years working around the clock," he said. He is also considering returning to college to finish his criminal justice degree.  

Deputy Mayor Robert Underhill described Gray and Dorre as "great examples of police officers that deeply cared about their community and worked hard to connect with the people that live here."  

Trustee Guy Longobardo expressed appreciation for the way the officers "interact with people. They are fair and friendly but know when to be firm as well."  

Trustee Anne W. Poorman stated, "Their departure is a great loss for Bronxville. They were both very intentional in mentoring our new police officers. Sergeant Gray and Police Officer Dorre exemplified community policing at its finest." 

Pictured here (rotating):  Sergeant Alton Gray and Police Officer Brenton Dorre (in front of police station), who are retiring from the Bronxville Police Department. 

Photo of Police Officer Dorre by N. Bower; photo of Sergeant Gray courtesy Mr. Gray