Sudbury's 'Officer Rocky' Retiring After 41 Years on the Force

One familiar face will be missing from the hallways of Sudbury’s schools and from the Sudbury Police Department as longtime officer Rocky Conrado is retiring from the force.

Known as “Officer Rocky,” Conrado has been the town’s DARE officer for 20 years and has been a member of the Sudbury Police Department for nearly 40 years.

Police Chief Scott Nix said he has known Conrado his entire life, and added that the veteran officer’s retirement will be a major loss to the department.

“Those are going to be the biggest loss, the connections and relationships he developed with the school children and school community.” said Nix. “It’s an incredible feat really what he accomplished.”

Nix said his department has known for a significant amount of time that Conrado’s retirement was upcoming. In order to prepare for Conrado’s retirement, Alan Hutchinson was chosen as his replacement and he spend time shadowing the veteran officer and forming his own relationships in Sudbury schools.

“He’s been visiting schools and attending the DARE program,” said Nix. “It’s not an easy feat to replace Officer Conrado after 41 years, but that is our plan to move forward.”

Nix said he has been impressed to attend DARE graduation and see the impact Conrado’s teachings have.

The chief added that with issues such as bullying, drug, use and changing technology, Conrado’s job of teaching young residents is as important now as it ever has been.

“Seeing his commitment and the impact he has on these young students is enlightening,” said Nix. “We hope to try to carry that forward and build upon it.”