CUMMINGTON — The town is close to having the first full-time police chief in its 247-year history. Pending contract negotiations scheduled for Wednesday, William “Billy” Bissell, has been chosen as the man for the job.
Interim Police Chief Brian Cioffi addressed the Select Board on Thursday night making the case for why Bissell should be selected.
“Since coming to Cummington at the end of July, I’ve worked a lot with Billy, or William Bissell, officially. We worked through a lot of the issues within the department,” said Cioffi, who has been tasked with cleaning up the police department after more than $92,000 of negligence was discovered under former chief Michael Perkins.
“Throughout that process, I’ve tried to impart the knowledge that I have on him, and over the last month and a half, two months, he’s taken on a lot of the administrative role of what a police chief would be doing in the police department,” said Cioffi.
By taking on a more administrative role, Bissell, hired 18 months ago as the town’s first full-time patrolmen, has been managing firearms licensing and making sure that everything is done according to state statutes.
But above and beyond administrative abilities, Cioffi said that Bissell is a genuine cornerstone in the Hilltowns.
“In talking to him, in discussions with various people, and watching mostly at the [Cummington] Fair, I don’t think I saw somebody go up and talk to people more than they do him … and it does seem like the community knows him. He understands the community. He grew up in this community, in Goshen, and has always seemed to have a positive and productive influence on the townships that he’s been around and been with.
“And honestly, in the months I’ve been here, I haven’t had one person come up to me and say that he’s a no-good person. So that, to me, is a testament for somebody who’s been in the community, in the community for a long period of time, and my recommendation would be going forward is to appoint this man your police chief,” said Cioffi.
Bissell has more than 20 years of experience in policing and has served on the departments of multiple Hilltowns, including Goshen and Ashfield. Following a brief, 19-minute Select Board meeting, Bissell said that he is dedicated to community-oriented styles of policing.
Contract negotiations will take place on Wednesday when the Select Board will iron out details in executive session. The board will reconvene on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Community House, 33 Main St., to potentially swear in Bissell.
In addition to recommending Bissell to be a full-time chief, Cioffi also recommends that the Select Board hire a full-time patrolmen going forward to prevent negligence in the future.
He is referring to a report he gave to the board last month that outlined alleged mishandling by Perkins of at least $92,427 in funds for a variety of services, including firearms license-to-carry fees, donations and other items. There was no evidence that he stole the funds.