For many people, work ends when the day is over. The responsibilities of the job are left behind until the next morning.
For Chief of Police Robert Noble, that has rarely been the case.
Over the past decade, leading the Yorktown Police Department has been a round-the-clock responsibility — requiring long hours, personal sacrifice and a steady commitment to the community he serves.
For Noble, law enforcement has never been simply a profession. It has been a vocation.
The work can be demanding, all-consuming and, at times, thankless. Yet as Noble prepares to retire next month after a decade as chief, he said the rewards have far outweighed the challenges.
During a sit-down interview at police headquarters, Noble reflected on his career, his tenure as chief and the people who supported him along the way. He said none of it would have been possible without his family and what he describes as his second family — the men and women of the Yorktown Police Department.
Noble said he is going out while he is “at the top of my game,” adding there is something to be said for that.
“I feel like my career has flown by,” Noble told Yorktown News, reflecting on his decade as chief and 33 years with the department. “Retirement is a bittersweet feeling because I really enjoy this vocation. More than that, I love the people I work with — from our newest officers to those that I’ve worked with for some time. YPD is truly a second family. It’s a lot to walk away from.”
That sense of family carried him through his career. Noble is not naïve about the sacrifices the job demands. Speaking emotionally about his wife, Eleana, and their three adult children, Amanda, Bobby and Meghan, he said their support made his career possible.
“None of my success happens for me without my immediate family. My wife, Eleana, is amazing,” he said, noting they were married before he became a police officer. He said he is still “crazy about her” and looks forward to spending more time with her and his children.
“I was all in as chief of police,” Noble said.
The commitment, he said, often extended beyond a normal shift and at times placed strain on his family. Now, he said, he looks forward to more time with them.
“I can’t thank them enough for all the joy that they brought to my life. I love them with all of my heart,” he added.
Noble also credited strong relationships with local emergency services, calling it an honor to work alongside Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Mohegan Emergency Medical Services, Mohegan Volunteer Fire Association, Lake Mohegan Fire District, the Yorktown Volunteer Fire Department and Empress paramedics, as well as volunteer and career firefighters.
Though he has received numerous honors over his tenure — many displayed in his office — Noble said he views recognition as shared. “Any honor I may have received was their award,” he said, referring to his officers.
He has been honored by organizations including the Yorktown Rotary, Lions Club, Jewish Center, Westchester Blue, Yorktown Elks Lodge No. 2324, Support Connection and the Westchester County Police Emerald Society, where he received the President’s Award.
Among his accomplishments, Noble cited expanding school-based programs, including bringing law enforcement clubs to both high schools, moving D.A.R.E. to eighth grade and growing the school resource officer program.
He said he is proud that the Town of Yorktown has consistently been ranked among New York State’s and the country’s safest towns.
He also served as president of the Yorktown Police Department Superior Officers Association from 2005 to 2013 and was the first Yorktown police chief elected president of the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association Board of Governors.
“Any good leader does his or her best to support, develop and put their team members in a position where they can succeed,” Noble said.
Capt. Justin Foley, who will succeed Noble as chief, said he “dedicated his life to law enforcement.”
“I have been fortunate in my career to watch him climb the ranks from sergeant to his current role as chief of police. Chief Noble is a leader that chiefs across the country should strive to emulate, especially when it comes to community policing,” Foley told Yorktown News. “He is a man of integrity, serves with honor, is respected by both the Yorktown community we serve and our outstanding men and women of the Yorktown Police Department.”
Foley added that Noble “leads from the front.”
Noble’s final day will be Friday, June 26, ending a tenure that formally began when he was appointed acting chief on June 13, 2016. He will walk out of the department at 3 p.m.
He joined the Yorktown Police Department on April 6, 1994, after serving as a White Plains police officer.
Early in his career, he worked on reaccreditation and audits and initially aspired to become a detective.
“That, to me, was the juice that was worth the squeeze in this profession,” he said. “But my path went differently when I prepared for promotional examinations… You never close a door on anything in this career.”
Throughout his time as chief, the department launched community initiatives including Coffee with a Cop, Cops and Cones, Pizza with the Police and National Night Out. The department currently has 63 sworn officers and eight civilian employees.
Noble said his leadership approach has been personal.
“If they have a spouse, I know his or her name. If they have children, I know their names as well,” he said.
He described his tenure in four themes: community engagement, resilience and consistency.
He also established Captain Kenneth Sgroi Act of Kindness Day. The loss of Capt. Kenneth Sgroi in 2023, he said, was the most difficult moment of his career.
“It gutted our police department,” Noble said.
He also led the department through the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of national unrest, which he said placed added strain on officers.
Policing, he said, is a 24/7 responsibility. Since his promotion to lieutenant in 2005 and chief in 2016, he has been on call continuously. He said he will not miss that part of the job.
He pointed to Lakeland and Yorktown high schools, two middle schools, seven elementary schools and more than 20 houses of worship as part of the department’s responsibility.
Those demands, he said, helped shape his support for school resource officers. Living in Mahopac and having his own children attend Lakeland schools made the issue more personal.
“I won’t miss the front row seat to New York State legislation and the perp protecting laws that continue to be passed,” he said.
The job, he said, has changed significantly over the past decade.
“Technology continues to evolve. Social media is a gift and a curse,” Noble said. “While body-worn cameras are an asset to good police officers, I ask you, would you want to wear a camera while working?”
He added that artificial intelligence will present new challenges for law enforcement, but emphasized that building relationships remains central.
“Getting out of the police car and chatting with business owners and residents is a very important component of this vocation. That will never change.”
While Noble is retiring on his own terms, the moment is also personal: his son, Robert, is beginning his own law enforcement career with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. It is a full-circle moment and a reflection of community.
“Yorktown is a slice of America. True red, white, and blue,” Noble said. “Locally, my hope is that I made it a bit easier to get to know your local police officers.
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