Jan. 27 will be his last day as chief, a position he’s held since October 2011.

As his father was a senior investigator with the State Police, and his grandfather was a New York City cop, Moore came about policing naturally. His father’s career began in Margaretville, near the Belleayre Ski Center, and then at Croton on Hudson when Moore was in high school. At the time, Moore’s dad was running the first joint New York City-New York State Police task force for drugs in the 1970s.

“If I was to give a reason why I decided on a career in policing, it was because of my dad. And because I was always enamored when the troopers came over. Back in the ’70s, they all had to be 6 feet tall, or so I thought at the time. From my dad, who encouraged me, I probably learned values more than anything.”

After graduating from the Police Academy in Plattsburgh, wherein won the Academic Achievement and Fire Arms Proficiency Awards, Moore started looking for work. His mother and father, now retired, had a summer place in Westport.

A friend of his dad knew the then Essex County Sheriff R. H. “Bottles” LaVigne, which opened a summer job with the Essex County Boat Patrol and took him around the county, including Lake Placid, where he met then Sgt. Mike Saulpaugh.

“He eventually became chief, but he asked if I had any interest in Lake Placid,” said Moore. “I did, and I was right out of college and now had a job. I was very fortunate, and I went on to hold every position there. I was a patrolman, sergeant, detective, first detective sergeant, the first assistant chief, and then chief.”

Over that same period, the village has changed with events like ECAC, lacrosse, rugby, Ironman, running races, and the growth of the horse shows, all requiring support to a greater or lesser degree by the police department. Whole neighborhoods have changed with the incredible growth of Airbnb rentals, and several new or expanded hotels have gone up. Tourism has expanded into the shoulder seasons, adding pressures on the department. Plus, domestic violence remains a challenge, driven in part by more people taking on two to three jobs to make ends meet and a rise in substance abuse.

“As far as policing, technology has evolved,” said Moore. “Even in the last 10 years that I have been chief. Instead of just having pistols, we have tasers, a nice donation from Serge. In the last couple of years, we implemented the Police Reform Bill. We have had body-worn cameras for almost 10 years now. The biggest change during my career has been technology. We used to give out handwritten tickets now it’s all done by computers. Instead of using ink for fingerprints, we use a machine called lifescan. I was able to get a grant from the DEA to acquire them. Back in the day, we had a notepad, index cards, and a pen in the cruiser, and now you can run plates, check driver’s licenses, and do your work from the car, and the public expects to see most of it on camera.”

For all that, most of the work is transient crimes like DWIs, fights that happen at night, and many domestic disputes. Hard is the tragic events, like the 2002 death of 1932 Olympian Jack Shea a short time before he was to go to the Olympics to watch his grandson compete. Moore was the first on the scene. Jack Shea was a friend. They hunted together. Another was the February 2019 death of Denny Allen, who had retired as general manager of the Olympic Center less than a year earlier. And there was Andrew St. Louis this past summer.

“A guy has a heart attack, and he’s a young man; it’s horrible,” said Moore. “These are people you know well. Thomas Shipman is another; we have worked hard to continue his legacy of creating safe spaces for kids. We have the Halloween dance that Tommy started. We’ve upped the game on that. When I first came, Halloween was a big event in Placid. Kids were throwing eggs, rolls of toilet paper, and all that stuff. We have no calls now. We’ve changed the whole dynamic, and that’s thanks to Tommy. We get these donated prizes and giveaway a TV, a bicycle, a kayak at the Halloween dance. Fortunately, the community always chips in, and the kids look so forward to it. It’s probably one of the best events we do.”

The tragic events, though, take an emotional toll. Moore provides a wide array of counseling options for those under his command so they can quietly, privately get the help they need.

“Bill Moore goes above and beyond the job,” said Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin. “He keeps an eye on everything that goes on around and in the village and town. Moore keeps himself educated on everything, which provides him with a huge wealth of knowledge when dealing with any situation. When he retires, that’s a lot of knowledge we will lose. He analyzes a situation, never flies off the handle, doesn’t seem to let anything faze him, and always seems to make a good decision.”

“When I took over the highway department, Bill was the assistant chief,” said Brad Hathaway. “Since back then, he’s always a person I can get a quick response when I need something, be it just advice. Bill’s an all-around good guy; he always takes your call, and he always makes time to help you out if he can. He’s going to be missed.”

“I feel very fortunate to have lived and worked in Placid,” said Moore. “I have had a great time.”

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the News for more than 15 years.)