http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/kaczmarek-finds-new-home-at-house-of-pancakes/7481/Greg Kaczmarek, whose life flipped from police chief to prison inmate, is back in the work force as manager of the International House of Pancakes on Wolf Road, Colonie. “God is good,” the former Schenectady chief said last weekend, referring to a second chance in life after release from prison last October. Kaczmarek, 59, spent 18 months at Mid-State Correctional Facility near Utica. He was sentenced after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine connected to his role in a drug ring that funneled narcotics from New York City to the Schenectady area. He started at IHOP two weeks ago. “I was looking for a part-time job flipping pancakes, but company supervision said they wanted to take advantage of my long management background,” Kaczmarek said. He spent more than a quarter-century at the Schenectady PD. He worked his way through the ranks from patrolman to chief. Former Mayor Al Jurczynski appointed him chief in 1996. He retired under fire in 2002 after an FBI investigation resulted in four Schenectady patrol officers going to prison. Kaczmarek said when first released from prison he was besieged with media seeking interviews and offers from two people interested in writing books about his life. He declined the requests. “I told them all I appreciated them giving me the opportunity to tell my side of story,” he said. “But, I turned them all down because I want to get on with my life.” |