Cheshire Hires Adams Officer as New Police Chief
Matthew Wright shakes hands with board members and Town Administrator Jennifer Morse on Friday after being offered the post.
The four present board members unanimously voted to hire him after an interview on Friday afternoon held during a special Selectmen's meeting.
Wright was the only finalist for a police chief search that lasted several months. The only public who attended, other than iBerkshires, was interim Police Chief Timothy Garner and Wright's wife.
The board will meet in executive session with Wright for contract negotiations then set an open session to establish a start date.
Board member Scott McWhirt recused himself from the interview as he had worked with Wright in the Adams Police Department prior to his retirement in 2016.
Wright highlighted his deep roots in Cheshire, where he was born and raised, being a Hoosac Valley High School graduate and earning an associate degree in criminal justice from Berkshire Community College and later a bachelor's from Westfield State University.
Now, he is raising his own family in town, following in his father's footsteps by giving back to the community by being a volunteer coach and participates in local festivities.
"I love just being a part of the community. I love what, obviously [retired Chief Timothy Garner] has done here over the years, with all the community events that you guys have here, my kids love to come down to them, my wife does, and we just love being a part of that," he said.
"It's one of those things where if I'm given this opportunity, I want to make sure that myself, my family, and our Police Department carries on that tradition in the community events that we've been able to get in place in this town."
Wright said he would be transparent to the community, giving residents a clear understanding of the department's goals and plans while creating opportunities for them to voice concerns and help shape how the department works to keep the community safe.
During his interview, Wright said, if hired, his priorities would include rebuilding public trust, addressing long-standing vacancies and maintaining the department's community-focused approach.
Wright was the only candidate brought forward to take over the chief's post. The department is currently being filled by Garner, who stepped in last year when his successor was charged with solicitation.
One of his main missions for the department is to restore the public's trust by being transparent, engaged with the community, and expanding training so officers feel prepared and invested in the department.
"I know a lot of people say this, but I hold myself to a very high moral standard for my family [and] obviously for the community. I love being a police officer. I'm very proud of it," Wright said.
Serving as a public safety official comes with high expectations, both for yourself and for the job and requires a drive to do what is right for yourself, your family, and your community, he said.
"There's a lot of police officers that have gone before us that have put in the time and set a good bar, and you just want to be able to live up to that," Wright said.
For the last 19 years, Wright has been with the Adams Police Department, where he has been "pulled in several directions" working as a day-shift sergeant supervising four officers, a civilian animal control officer, and a detective, while also handling court duties.
Additionally, he has been the department's Criminal Justice Information System representative and helped overhaul the department policies and its implementation of body-worn cameras.
Over the years, he has completed numerous training courses, including FBI and Municipal Police Training Committee programs, allowing him to become an Axon TASER instructor and a Sex Offender Registry Board compliance officer.
During the FBI training, Wright said something that has stayed with him was an instructor saying, "We're not just placed in charge of our people. We're charged with the care of our people."
In this role, Wright said he will lead by example and take a personal interest in his officers' physical, mental and even financial well-being by establishing programs they can turn to for support. And, he said, having the officers help in training fellow officers is something that helps with retention.
"It gives them a sense of purpose, and that they're helping in training the department and the new officers, and even the veteran officers that they work with," he said.
"So, I find that that really helps for retention because it just gives them a purpose for being at that department, almost creating a family type of environment where everybody feels comfortable and welcomed within the department. It does, and they're a part part of the the building of the program."
Tags: candidate interviews, police chief,
