NORTHAMPTON — Capt. Dorothy Clayton would prefer her retirement not receive a lot of attention, but her more than three decades in the Northampton Police Department speak for themselves.
“It’s been a great career,” she said.
Clayton, 57, is set to retire in June. Capt. John Cartledge will take over from her as captain of administration, while soon-to-be-promoted Lt. Robert Powers will take over from Cartledge as captain of operations.
“I love what I’m doing now,” said Clayton. “It’s just time to go.”
Clayton, who lives in Hatfield, said she plans on doing some part-time work, but nothing involving law enforcement.
A 1979 graduate of Northampton High School, Clayton was a member of Law Enforcement Explorers Post 556 before becoming a special police officer for the NPD in 1981. She became a full-time officer in 1984.
She joined the detective bureau in 1988, where she specialized in investigating sexual assaults and child abuse cases. She also served for more than a decade as the department’s domestic violence intervention liaison, and in 2006 was given the Domestic Violence Prevention Award from the Northwestern district attorney’s office.
Clayton was promoted to sergeant in 1998, lieutenant in 2010 and captain in 2014. Since her promotion to captain, she has been the captain of administration for the department, where she does all the scheduling and oversees property and evidence.
“She does a lot,” said Police Chief Jody Kasper. “She’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades”
Clayton is currently the Northampton department’s longest-serving officer.
Now Clayton’s boss, Kasper joined the force in 1998. Kasper said Clayton was one of the members of the department who stood out with how she did her job.
“She was certainly someone that I wanted to emulate,” said Kasper.
Cartledge, who joined the department in 1995, also praised Clayton.
“She’s done an awesome job here,” he said.
Like Clayton, Cartledge grew up in Northampton, and he said that it is neat to see someone born and raised in the city make their way through the department’s ranks. Cartledge also said that Clayton taught him to always be thoughtful and take your time when making decisions.
“We wish her well in her retirement,” he said.
While serving in the NPD, Clayton got both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Asked why she had chosen to stay with the organization Clayton said she couldn’t imagine living in any other area.
“This is my heart,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.