By Paul Wisniewski
DEPEW — Two and a half years after its chief and both captains left within weeks of each other, the Depew Police Department has rebuilt its command staff from inside its own ranks.
The village promoted Cory Skok to police chief at a special meeting last month, succeeding Jim McNamara, the former Amherst police captain the village brought in to steady the department in 2024. Within weeks, the department announced that Lt. Rochelle Menard had been promoted to administrative captain and Officer Christopher Matteson to patrol lieutenant, The Cheektowaga Bee reported.
The changes close a chapter that Mayor Kevin Peterson has described in unusually blunt terms. They also leave residents with fair questions about what the turnaround cost, what fixed the department’s labor troubles and whether the gains will hold.
How the department got here
Former Chief Jerome Miller and two captains retired in 2024, leaving the department short on experienced leaders, the Bee reported in its coverage of Mr. Skok’s appointment.
Speaking before the vote, Mr. Peterson said there had been 21 step-three grievances on his desk, a late stage of the union grievance process, before the leaders left. “The tension between the union and the administration — the two captains and the chief — it was too much at the time,” he said, according to the Bee. “They all retired within two weeks.”
Mr. Peterson said no one inside the department met Civil Service requirements for chief at the time, and a search of similarly sized departments in the region also came up empty. So the village looked to Amherst.
“Normally, it’s all progression up the ranks, but we got somebody from a much bigger area. It’s like a city; it’s 135,000 people over there,” Mr. Peterson said. “We were able to bring all of that experience here.”
What changed under McNamara
Mr. Peterson credited Mr. McNamara with smoothing relations with the union. “He has changed the culture here. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation,” the mayor said. “You don’t get that opportunity very often as a mayor to make that kind of transformational change.”
According to the mayor, the department added 12 to 13 members during Mr. McNamara’s tenure, and only a few replaced retirees. Mr. McNamara also added lieutenants, negotiated spots for two Depew officers on Cheektowaga’s SWAT team and started work on an honor guard that is still being planned, the Bee reported.
Mr. McNamara said he had to make “some tough decisions” when he arrived. He said Mr. Skok “rose to the occasion each time” a problem came up. “This is a well-deserved promotion,” Mr. McNamara said. “I know that after working the last two years with him how much he cares.”
Mr. Skok said he intends to keep going in the same direction, with a focus on growth, training and putting the right people in the right posts. “I’m excited to carry on what we have started with Chief McNamara two and a half years ago,” he said.
The new command staff
Ms. Menard joined the department as an officer in 2011. She served as a field training officer, was promoted to patrol lieutenant in 2021 and has been administrative lieutenant since 2024, overseeing training and community relations, according to the department’s announcement as published by the Bee.
Lt. Matteson joined Depew in 2023 after 13 years with the Geneseo Police Department. He has served as a field training officer and firearms instructor and was named STOP-DWI Officer of the Year in 2025.
Questions that remain
The mayor’s account describes a department that went from open conflict to stability in about two and a half years. The public record doesn’t yet show several things residents may want to know: how the 21 grievances were resolved, what the added officers and new supervisory posts cost the village, and how those costs show up in the village budget. It also doesn’t say whether the recent promotions are permanent Civil Service appointments or provisional ones pending exams.
The Buffalo Chronicle is putting those questions to Mr. Peterson and will update this story with his response. Residents with questions for the department can reach the station at 716-683-1123.
Leave a Reply