Friday May 14, 2010
VERNON – After serving in an interim role for seven months, Mary Beth Hebert will now become the official chief of the Vernon Police Department.
The town Selectboard unanimously appointed Hebert as the new head of the police department during a special Wednesday meeting after she had been in an acting role since October when officials terminated former Chief Kevin Turnley.
“I’m very excited about being appointed permanent chief,” she said. “I am so, so proud of all the hard work from everyone in the department, we’ve come a long way in just seven months in what we’ve accomplished. … I’m really very proud to be a part of it.”
Selectboard Chairman Mike Courtemanche said since Hebert became acting chief on Oct. 26, she has put a tremendous amount of effort in taking the department in a different direction.
“She was faced with literally no staff and had to begin to build the department from the ground up,” he said. “All-in-all, Mary Beth has really hit the ground running and the board felt that she was ready for the job. Additionally, the board felt that Mary Beth would be able to start working on long-term goals now that the position was officially hers.”
The current staff consists of Hebert, acting Sgt. Bruce Gauld and three patrol officers, with a fourth expected to join the department next week.
“Aside from building up the staff, Mary Beth went before the town at Town Meeting and was successful in attaining the funding needed to get the department new bullet proof vests, computers and uniforms, all of which will benefit and strengthen the department,” said Courtemanche.
The board also credited Hebert for rewriting many of the policies and procedures used by the force since October, as well as her ability to improve the relationship between the department and the town residents.
Hebert, an officer with the VPD since 2005, and the staff held an open house for Vernon residents to come and meet the officers last fall.
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