SHELBURNE — Police Sgt. Gregory Bardwell has been promoted to serve as Shelburne Police Department’s interim police chief by the Board of Selectmen, following Chief Steven Walker’s retirement on Oct. 10.
Also, officer Timothy Budrewicz has been promoted to interim police sergeant.
Bardwell has been with the Shelburne Police Department since 2006, and serving full time since 2008. “I will have some big shoes to fill,” Bardwell said, referring to Walker.
Bardwell grew up in Shelburne and originally planned to become a photographer before taking up police work. He began working part-time in the Shelburne Police Department in 2006, became full-time in 2008, after graduating from the Western Mass. Police Academy in Springfield.
“Both of these men have 10 years of experience in law enforcement and have grown professionally under the direction of Steve Walker,” said Selectmen’s Chairman Joseph Judd. “We have every confidence in their abilities.”
Their positions will be reviewed by the board after a six-month probationary period.
Walker retired after 27 years of police work in West County because of a disability affecting his eyesight. He had been Shelburne’s police chief for nine years.