Chief Trujillo: Compassion with Enforcement

by Kathy Savolt -

Chief P.J. Trujillo was officially sworn in as Acting Police Chief at the April 14th meeting of the Board of Trustees (BOT).  Born in the Bronx, Trujillo is one of the first generation of his family born in the US.  He was primarily raised by his mother, attended Catholic schools in the Bronx and joined the NYPD in 2007.  Trujillo then transferred to the Village of Mamaroneck in July 2008, notable because his hiring ushered in a much needed change in hiring practices.

The courtroom was packed with current and former police officers and members of the general public who came to wish him well.  Also in attendance were two former trustees, Toni Ryan and Randi Robinowitz, who were on the BOT that hired him.

After joining the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department (VMPD), Trujillo moved to the Village with his wife and two sons, both of whom are students at Mamaroneck High School. Trujillo obtained his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Mercy University and is now working on his master’s degree in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Training and Promotions

Chief Trujillo’s law enforcement career is extensive, beginning with patrolling the streets of Manhattan’s 17th Precinct.  In May 2014, then a respected presence on the force, he became a Training Instructor and has taught firearms training at the Westchester County Police Academy as well as instructing fellow officers in defensive tactics, active shooter response, and procedural justice.

Chief Trujillo was promoted to Patrol Sergeant in May 2018, then to Detective Sergeant of the Investigations Division and Public Information Officer in January 2021.  He advanced to Detective Lieutenant of the Investigations Division in December 2021 and was appointed Chief of Police in April 2025, during his 19th year in law enforcement.

Vested Interests and Ownership

A family man, who loves grilling in the back yard with his wife of 20 years and his sons, Trujillo brings a love for his job, his fellow officers and his community to his work.  He plans to continue the current approach to law enforcement – balancing compassion with enforcement.  He says that about 70% of the current force either live here in the Village, have lived here, or have family here.  Trujillo points out the “vested interest” and “ownership” he and other members of the force have in our community.

The Right Person at the Right Time

Full disclosure - this author was Mayor when Trujillo was hired.  At that time, all candidates for the VMPD were interviewed by the elected officials so I was one of the officials who hired Trujillo.  But there was more - it was time to make some changes. 

In 2008, the Village had four vacancies for patrol officer and less than a handful of Spanish-speaking officers on the force. {This is a correction from the originally published article that reported there were no Spanish speakers on the force.}  This was at a time when the Hispanic population in the Village was growing and right after the Village and prior officials were found guilty in federal court of violating the constitutional rights of Hispanic day labors.  It was a painful period in the Village’s history as the problems here made national news and not in a good way.

Village Hiring Practices

The hiring of police personnel is governed by civil service laws and rules.  Once a civil service test is given and the results are released, those results determine the hiring order until the list is exhausted.  Hiring agencies must declare which list they will use at the beginning of a cycle and then use that list primarily until it is exhausted.  Historically, the Village of Mamaroneck pulled the local residents list only. 

By 2008, the local resident list no longer contained enough qualified candidates to meet the Village’s needs, and the newly seated BOT decided to break with the past and interviewed candidates from the Spanish-speakers list – the only alternative available.  Given the recent history, the increase of Hispanic residents and the fact that no one on the police force spoke Spanish, it was a perfect solution and proved the old adage that “sometimes bad things have to happen before good things can.”

Congratulations Chief Trujillo!

Chief Trujillo & Parents