“I will miss working cases and supervising the excellent officers that the Jamestown Police Department has within its ranks and serves the people of Jamestown every day,” said Samuelson, who has taken a job in the private sector.

Samuelson began his law enforcement career after graduating from the police academy in 1992. He joined the Jamestown Police Department as a patrolman in 1994.

He served as a sergeant from 2000 to 2004; a lieutenant from 2004 to 2009; and captain from 2009 up until his retirement.

During his tenure, Samuelson also served as a member of the department’s SWAT team. He has a master’s degree in public safety and recently graduated from the FBI National Academy.

Capt. Robert Samuelson

It was seeing police officers in high school that made him want to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“They look professional,” Samuelson said. “They looked put together. It’s something that I was interested in.”

A lot has changed in policing during his career.

“We’re more community oriented now than we ever have been,” he said. “We have officers involved in many different aspects throughout the community, whether it’s coaching, mentoring, all the different stuff that we do.”

Another noticeable change has been the drop in police recruits, a problem facing departments across the country.

Capt. Robert Samuelson is pictured with Justin Latimer, a member of Special Olympics New York, during a past Law Enforcement Torch Run.

“That’s the biggest difference,” said Samuelson, who noted there were more than 30 people in his graduating class from the police academy. “We were literally bickering back and forth over jobs, fighting to get jobs, and to show our worth.”

Today, there’s only a handful of students in the academy despite several police agencies in desperate need of officers.

Outside his role as captain, Samuelson co-founded Project Love at Love Elementary School and was coordinator of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, among other community work including Special Olympics.

In December 1995, just a year into his career at JPD, Samuelson shared the “Officer of the Year” award after saving a man from the Chadakoin River.

Police Chief Timothy Jackson said Samuelson’s departure will leave a “big gap to fill” within the police department. “He’s got a lot of experience that we’re going to have to try to make up for,” Jackson said. “He was a very hard worker — always reliable. It’ll be tough to make up for.”

His role with the Law Enforcement Torch Run campaign that benefits Special Olympics was noted as well. Samuelson recommended Justin Latimer for the International Athlete of the Year Award, an honor that was given to Latimer in Chicago this past October.

“He has been so kind to Justin,” said Latimer’s mom, Brenda. “We are thankful for everything he’s done, and he will definitely be missed.”

Samuelson first met Latimer years ago during a fundraiser for Special Olympics.

“Since that time, I have had the pleasure to run with Justin at multiple Special Olympic Torch Runs in Jamestown and at the International Torch Run in Niagara Falls,” Samuelson told The Post-Journal in 2020. “I look forward to continuing to participate in events with Justin and other athletes who all continue to inspire each and every one of us every day.”

Looking back on his 30-year career, Samuelson reflected on the “many good things” that the department has been able to accomplish.

“Sometimes people look at our jobs as being this horrible thing, seeing all these horrible things every day,” he said. “That is a very small percentage of what we do. Sometimes we do see that — see people at their worst, children that are hurt — but that is a very small percentage of what we do.

“The majority of what we do as police in general is just being out there, being visible, handling complaints, doing what we do. … We’re out there trying to help people.”

He praised incoming Mayor Kim Ecklund, whom he believes will be a great asset for the city.