When John Kapica decided to turn in his badge after 37 years with the Greenburgh Police Department, the last 17 as chief, his to-do list included spending time with his 10 grandchildren and working on his house that he built 22 years ago.

“I did not anticipate employment after I left Greenburgh,” said Kapica.

However, a few days before his November 27, 2009 departure date, Kapica received a call from Sleepy Hollow officials inquiring if he had any interest in leading the village Police Department. After a few months of negotiations, a deal was reached in early February for a maximum 18-month tenure at an annual salary of $145,000.

“It fell into place fairly quickly,” said Sleepy Hollow Trustee Tom Capossela. “It was unanimous on the board that when he was interested the board was likewise interested. Chief Kapica is a very experienced man and I trust his leadership unconditionally.”

Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said Kapica was “an excellent choice” for Sleepy Hollow.

“Chief Kapica is a workaholic. He is very passionate about his work and is innovative,” Feiner said. “He started many new programs and came up with good cost savings initiatives. He is also independent, says what is on his mind. I think Sleepy Hollow is lucky to have him. Residents should feel safer.”

Kapica, 65, said the short-term nature of the position and the challenges it presented appealed to him to continue his police career.

“We’re going to try to stabilize the ship a little here,” he said. “It’s no secret the department has had some problems. The FBI has come in and investigated. People tend to paint with a broad brush because of the egregious acts of a few. One of my objectives here is to do a little image building in the department. It’s not an easy thing to do. Once public perception is ingrained it’s hard to change.”

Former Sleepy Hollow Police Chief Jimmy Warren was removed from that post in a surprise move by the Board of Trustees in October after 12 years in charge. He worked for the department for 25 years. He officially retired in late November, four days before Kapica left Greenburgh. Since Warren was ousted, Sergeant Jose Cotarelo was the acting chief, but Capossela noted the board was looking to go outside the department for a permanent replacement.

One of Kapica’s first suggestions to the Board of Trustees is to form a Police Advisory Commission, an entity that proved to be an asset in Greenburgh.

“It can be very beneficial to the police department. It keeps the police pulse on the community,” said Kapica, noting such a commission in Sleepy Hollow would have less members than the approximately 14 that served Greenburgh. “Sometimes as officers we neglect what people feel and what’s important to people we overlook, such as graffiti on a building or an abandoned car.”

He also plans to meet with civic and business groups to see how the police department can serve them better.

“We have to develop that trust. Probably for 140 years police have been destroying trust,” he said. “We have to change that by reaching out to people, asking where can we improve and what do people want.”

The Sleepy Hollow Police Department has a budgeted staff of 27, which is much smaller than the 116 members Kapica oversaw in Greenburgh. Yet, Kapica feels both departments are understaffed.

“With a village this size, you can’t do it with one guy on the street. This is a small police department. There are three posts that have to be filled every day. How do you fill posts? If you don’t have personnel, you use overtime,” he said. “They had a diverse population in Greenburgh and they have a diverse population here. You’ll see the same stuff here as we had in Greenburgh. A crime is a crime. How many you have is a different issue.”