Todd Dodge named Greenfield police chief
Published: 08-27-2024 7:02 PM |
GREENFIELD – Mayor Virginia Desorgher appointed Todd Dodge as the city’s police chief, ending his more than six-month tenure as “acting chief.”
City Clerk Kathy Scott swore Dodge into the position Tuesday afternoon at City Hall. According to a written statement announcing Dodge’s appointment, Desorgher “continually considered” both a nationwide police chief search or vetting an internal candidate during a six-month probation period.
In a statement, Dodge said it was a “tremendous honor” to be appointed as the city’s policy chief.
“I am confident we are continuing to march in the right direction,” he said. “We’ve begun several projects and embraced changes that brought new energy to the department.”
Dodge, a Greenfield native, was sworn in as acting police chief in February following former Police Chief Robert Haigh’s retirement. He first joined the Police Department in 1998 as a reserve officer before being promoted to a patrol officer and later climbing the department’s ranks to serve as a detective, motorcycle patrol officer, field training officer, bicycle patrol officer, special response team, sergeant, corporal and logistics lieutenant.
“[Desorgher] gave me a shot, and I guess I did what I needed to do. I said right out of the gate that I had to hit the ground running,” Dodge said in an interview Tuesday evening of his time as acting chief. “We were in a mess. We really needed to increase the public’s confidence in us as a police department. We had to re-establish relationships with the community. That’s been my goal since February, and I think we’ve made a lot of strides in that direction.”
Desorgher cited the department’s achievements during Dodge’s time as acting chief — the creation of the Community Impact Division, the department’s progress on its downtown substation and the creation of a community liaison position — as motivation for Dodge’s hiring as the full-time chief.
“I thought extremely carefully about how this decision impacts our city,” Desorgher wrote in a statement Tuesday. “Ultimately, I believe Dodge’s terrific progress to date and decades of experience in Greenfield provides strong stability for the police department as they continue accomplishing fantastic new initiatives.”
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Noting that the department’s new initiatives aim to build trust between police and the residents they serve, Dodge said that he will continue working with the “same energy [he]started with” to ensure Greenfield is a “trusted and reliable agency for all.”
In his full-time position, Dodge said he will strive to continue the department’s efforts toward community engagement, building trust between civilians and law enforcement while maintaining the department’s duty to protect and serve.
Dodge pointed to the hiring of Maria Burge as the city’s first-ever community liaison last month as a promising bridge between civilians and police, one that he hopes to expand upon as the city’s chief.
“The way I see it is we can never have enough trust, and we can never have enough confidence in us. So every move we make is going to be directed towards achieving that,” Dodge said. “We want people involved with us … When they know us better, they’re less suspicious of us. When you don’t know about something, you’re scared of it. Once you get to know us, you realize the men and women of the Greenfield Police are just like every other person out there, they have lives, they have jobs, they have families, they have bills. They’re just trying to complete their mission.”
Dodge will take part in a formal swearing-in ceremony in the weeks ahead. He said he hoped to have his six-year-old grandson, Silas, pin the badge to his uniform.
“Todd Dodge has demonstrated that he is not only willing, but wants to work with the community and city councilors to solve problems facing our city,” City Council President John Bottomley said in a statement. “I have found him to be honest, straightforward, and responsive.”
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.