Chief Eric S. Clifford was born in Schenectady and raised in Rotterdam New York.
He purchased his first home in Schenectady in 1995 and currently resides in the city with his wife and two sons.
Chief Clifford is a graduate of Schenectady County Community College (A.S. in Business Administration), Union College (B.A. in Economics), and Marist College (Master of Public Administration). He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy Session #274.
He joined the Schenectady Police Department in 2002 and worked as a patrolman in Mt. Pleasant and Bellevue, then as a Community Police Officer in Mt. Pleasant and Hamilton Hill, before being promoted to Sergeant in 2006. As a sergeant Chief Clifford served as the Primary Public Information Officer for two years.
In 2010 Chief Clifford was promoted to Lieutenant and commanded the midnight platoon for a year and a half before becoming a Detective Lieutenant in late 2011. As a Detective Lieutenant he oversaw twelve homicide investigations and assisted with another seventeen homicide investigations.
He also oversaw and lead the Schenectady Police Departments combined efforts with the ATF National Response Team’s investigation into the fire at 104 Jay Street that claimed 4 lives.
Chief Clifford is a certified Crisis Negotiator, Zone Five Regional Police Academy instructor, the former Call Out Coordinator for the Peer Support team, and trained as a bicycle police officer. He is on the board of directors for the Zone Five Regional Police Academy and the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center.