Larchmont’s police chief has resigned only weeks after stepping into the role, village officials confirmed, setting off a fresh leadership scramble at a department that just went through one transition this past summer. Joseph Paprota, who was appointed chief in August, has left the position, and Lieutenant Dan Calapai will oversee daily operations while the village searches for a permanent replacement.
The resignation was first reported by Larchmont Loop, which said Mayor Brigid Brennan confirmed that Chief Paprota notified the village he is retiring. Brennan told the outlet that Calapai will run the department while officials conduct a search for a new chief, and she sought to reassure residents that the transition would not disrupt police services.
Mayor Pledges No Gap in Coverage
“Larchmont is fortunate to have such a dedicated and talented team who will continue their important police duties without interruption,” Brennan said in her statement to Larchmont Loop on Saturday. Calapai, who was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant in April, is now the department’s point person during the search, according to the same report, though the village has not detailed a timeline for finding Paprota’s successor.
Paprota’s own rise had been swift. He moved up from sergeant to lieutenant before being tapped to lead the department, per Larchmont Loop. His appointment capped a leadership change set in motion earlier this year when then-Chief Christopher McNerney told the village board on July 27 that he planned to retire, a move citizenportal.ai reported came with trustees voting to promote Paprota effective August 29.
A Short-Lived Handoff From a Decorated Chief
McNerney’s departure from Larchmont was framed at the time as the capstone of a long law enforcement career. According to talkofthesound.com, McNerney retired effective August 29, 2026, capping a 32-year law enforcement career that included 26 years with the Town of Greenburgh Police Department. The outlet reported that during McNerney’s tenure in Larchmont, the department earned New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation, developed a new police manual, and launched a grant-funded, department-wide body-worn-camera program.```
westchester.news12.com similarly reported that Larchmont officials said Lt. Joe Paprota would succeed McNerney as chief, underscoring how fresh that handoff still was when Paprota’s own resignation surfaced. Accounts differ slightly on exactly how long McNerney served as Larchmont’s top cop: Larchmont Loop put his tenure at four years, while talkofthesound.com described it as roughly four and a half years.
Echoes of an Earlier Westchester Transition
McNerney’s arrival in Larchmont itself followed a notable exit from Greenburgh, where he had built a reputation over decades in law enforcement. theexaminernews.com reported that McNerney informed the Greenburgh Town Board he would be stepping down to become chief of the Larchmont Police Department, prompting that board to begin selecting an interim chief. The outlet noted McNerney had previously retired as Greenburgh’s police chief in 2019 after a 24-year career before returning to lead that department when Chief Brian Ryan retired.
During his time leading Greenburgh police, McNerney’s department reinstituted its Street Crime Unit and created a Special Victim’s Unit, according to theexaminernews.com. Greenburgh’s police department separately noted it had implemented a body-worn-camera program with full patrol deployment, becoming, per its own announcement, the first agency in Westchester County to reach that milestone.
For now, Larchmont residents are left watching a department cycle through its third chief-level transition in roughly two months, with Calapai steering operations in the interim. Village officials have not said how long the search for a permanent chief is expected to take.
