BY JOSEPH KOHUT, STAFF WRITER
After roughly four decades of service with the Scranton Police Department, Lt. Martin Crofton is off duty.
Crofton, 65, retired Tuesday, leaving behind large shoes to fill for those who come after him, his colleagues said.
“He’s one of the best street cops and supervisors I’ve ever worked with, without question,” Police Chief Carl Graziano said. “He was dedicated to the profession.”
Crofton began his time with the city police in 1980 as a reserve officer working primarily in city housing developments, Crofton said.
He became a full-time officer in 1990 and hit the streets on patrol. During his career, he worked for a time investigating child abuse with the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office and spent 20 years with the city’s Special Operations Group — essentially the department’s SWAT team — as both an operator and commander.
“He’s a very tactically aware officer,” Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said. “He was in charge of the (Special Operations Group) for a number of years and taught me and many other officers a lot here. … He’s definitely going to be a tough act to follow.”
Crofton was the type of police officer who would not just dictate a job to his subordinates, he would work right alongside them and lead by example. No matter what happened, he always reported for duty.
“He was just one of those tough guys,” Graziano said. “He comes to work every day. Good or bad, he’s here.”
He had been a patrol lieutenant for the last 17 years.
Crofton made $96,399.17 in 2018. In retirement, he has taken a job as a court security officer at the federal courthouse in Scranton, he said.
Crofton was effusive in his praise Friday for the residents, commuters and businesses in the city who paid his wages and benefits. He knows he will miss the job.
“I miss my fellow co-workers,” Crofton said. “They were just the finest bunch of police officers.”
Contact the writer:
jkohut@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9144;
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