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Born and raised in Cheektowaga, John Cardarelli's first police work was with the Cheektowaga Police Department in 1967. At the time he left, he was a detective. As a matter of fact, when he was interviewed by then Supervisor William Feasley for the Eden Police Chiefs job he explained his unconventional appearance (long hair and beard) by stating that he was working undercover in his specialty - narcotics. The Town Board quickly approved his application, impressed with his Criminal Justice degree, his in-depth study of the drug problem and his possible solutions of it. His youthful zest and charisma, plus his no-nonsense approach to law and order, led to his being the youngest police chief hired in Erie County. Immediately after starting his duties in Eden, he began to build his department into a full-time force. The only help or assistant he brought with him was his bloodhound, "Apples".
BloodHound Useful - Chief
Cardarelli is getting ready to take "Apples", his pet bloodhound, on a "tracking assignment".
Apples is used frequently in Eden police work.
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Once the basics were completed, he oversaw the computerization of the Eden Police Department. Eden was the first department in Erie County to install video cameras in police cars. Cardarelli also caused new radio equipment to be installed, linking Eden to every other department in Erie County, and the department became a primary answering point when the Enhanced 911 was installed.
Although Cardarelli left Eden in 1988, he continued to support the department from his new position as Commissioner of Central Police Services, a position he held until 1998. Some major accomplishments of his tenure with Erie County CPS was the moving of the training academy to a central location which improved the quality of education for Police Officers, the expansion of the CPS Lab, which earned worldwide accreditation status with the DNA section, and the implementation of a Statewide Fingerprint identification system to identify criminals. Both those systems have solved crimes that had been stagnant for years throughout Erie County. His last project with the county was the installation of car computers in police cars. The resultant MDT (Mobile Data Terminal) project with AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locator) is the most innovative one anywhere in the country.
Other notable accomplishments and service which he offered to the community consist of the following:
Cardarelli, now retired, still resides in Eden with his wife Allison. John has two children: Jennifer Sava, who is an Assistant Chief of Inspections with the U.S. Department of Immigration in Washington, D.C. and John Cardarelli, who is a Team Leader with Microsoft in Redmonds, Washington. Though busy with his family, Cardarelli continues his association with the Eden Police Department as an interested friend and advisor.
