BERNARDSTON — Daniel Larvey, 21, of Greenfield is the Bernardston Police Department’s newest part-time officer.
According to Bernardston Police Chief James Palmeri, Larvey’s addition to the force helps alleviate the need to hire more full-time personnel or have the department’s three full-time officers work overtime, which he said small towns like Bernardston can’t afford.
Larvey earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Greenfield Community College, and graduated from Westfield State University this year with a bachelor’s degree, also in criminal justice. He received an Academic Excellence Award at Westfield for being in the top 10 percent of his graduating class.
“After working really hard in school and maintaining the highest possible GPA in college, it’s really nice to see my hard work paying off,” Larvey said. “Now I’m with a department that I feel is like my second family, and they treat me very well.”
Larvey was also “highly recommended by the program coordinator and instructors within the part-time police academy,” Palmeri said.
The Bernardston Police Department provides Larvey with his first opportunity to work in law enforcement, a dream he has had since he was young.
“Ever since I was little, I always had the feeling that law enforcement would be a good fit for me,” Larvey said. “Community policing really aligns with my value of helping others. (At the Bernardston Police Department) we like to place the needs of others before ours.”
With Larvey’s addition, the department has seven part-time officers. Larvey is the second new hire within the last year, accompanying part-time Officer Brian Tennyson, who was hired last fall.