East Hampton Village Police Chief Michael Tracey Retires

East Hampton Village Police Chief Michael Tracey is retiring after 40 years in the department, the last six of which he has served as its top cop — effective September 1.

East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen, who previously served 14 years as the village police chief before being elected, presented Tracey with a proclamation thanking the chief for his service during a recent board meeting.

“Every day this job has been a pleasure,” Tracey told the village during a speech at the board meeting. “We’ve had some sadness, but we’ve had some great days and we laughed every single day.”

Capt. Jeff Erikson will become acting chief, then provisional chief once Tracey’s personal time off is used up and then Erikson will take the civil service exam in March to permanently fill the position, should he pass the test.

The East Hampton Village Police Department has 21 full-time personnel, including police officers, detectives and administrative staff, not including additional seasonal officers hired during the summer months.