HADLEY — After a 38-year-long career in law enforcement that began in the U.S. Army and culminated with police work across the Pioneer Valley, Hadley Police Sgt. Ken Hartwright is retiring from the force beginning in January.
“It feels good,” Hartwright, 56, said this week. “I am honored to have served my community and my country for almost 40 years. But I thought it was time to hang it up.”
Hartwright’s retirement was unanimously approved by the Select Board Wednesday night and is effective Jan. 8. After graduating from Northampton High School in 1981, Hartwright joined the U.S. Army where he became a military policeman. It wasn’t until 2010 when Hartwright joined the Hadley Police Department, where he eventually rose to the rank of sergeant in 2016.
Having grown up in Northampton, Hartwright wanted to stay in the area after he left the military. Following a stint as a special police officer in Springfield. He joined the Pelham Police Department until 1992 when he became a Northampton police officer.
It was during his time in Northampton that Hartwright said he was first sent to the police academy. In 2004, Hartwight left Northampton to become a police sergeant in Shutesbury.
In 2010, Hartwright became a part-time patrol officer in Hadley, a position that was soon upgraded to a full-time officer in 2011.
During his time in Hadley, Hartwright oversaw department grants, the issuance of Firearms Identification Cards and licenses to carry and the Drug Addiction Response Team (DART), according to the department.
Hartwright said he was proud of his work overseeing DART, which is a collaborative effort between police departments around the area and Hampshire HOPE that aims to create a response team that follows up with those who have overdosed.
“It was nice to know that we were trying to make a positive impact on the community,” Hartwright said. “It was almost empowering that we could do something other than just respond.”
The self-proclaimed “go-to” guy for administrative tasks, Hartwright also oversaw technological and equipment improvements internally at the department.
“If we needed something, I was always the one to research it and bring up bids to the administration,” he said.
At Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, Police Chief Michael A. Mason called Hartwright’s long career “impressive,” saying he was proud of the good he has done during his time in law enforcement.
“We’re going to have trouble filling the void that he’s leaving, not just because of being a police officer but also supervision,” Mason said.
Hartwright’s last shift with the department will be Jan. 3. He does not know who will fill his vacant sergeant position, but Special Police Officer Brendan Smith has been promoted to a full-time position in the department effective in January. Smith lives in Greenfield and will attend the police academy in 2020.
Hartwright said he’s looking forward to cutting his hour-long commute from his home in Vernon, Connecticut from his routine. When he leaves the department, he said he’s excited to continue playing amateur baseball, but conceded there still might be some work in retirement after all.
“My wife has a pretty long to-do list for me at the house,” he said.
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.