Paul Hartford excelled both in the classroom and on the playing field during his four years at Westfield State. During his senior season in 1981, he led the Westfield State lacrosse team to the Colonial League championship and a berth in the ECAC tournament with a 12-2 record. Hartford led the team in scoring three out of four years and ranks as the second leading scorer in Westfield State history. 

Hartford was a team player, talented and very tough, as he played during most of his stellar senior season with broken thumbs and casts on both hands. During his senior season he ranked 13th nationally in scoring and fourth in the nation in assists. He was selected to play in the 1981 New England East-West All-Star Game. He still holds school records for assists in a game (7), season (47) and career (107). 

Academically, Hartford graduated cum laude and was a member of the national criminal justice honor society. The Rockland, Mass., native was the first Westfield State recipient of the Howard C. Smith Award, given to the outstanding senior student-athlete in the Mass. State Conference. 

Hartford currently works for the Massachusetts Parole Board in Boston. His leadership skills have carried over into the work force as he was a 1991 recipient of the Massachusetts's Pride and Performance Award. He participated in the U.S. Marshal's Operation Sunrise and Operation Gunsmoke to apprehend violent fugitives, and is currently a member of the FBI Violent Fugitive Task Force. 

In addition to Hartford's task force work, he has been intimately involved in many cases that have gained notoriety over the years, including the Carol Stewart murder case and the Hudson, New Hampshire, armored car robbery. 

He and his wife, Heather, have three children: Timothy, Shannon and Matthew.