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Date: 12/29/2021
LUDLOW – In order to fill a vacant patrol sergeant position in the Ludlow Police Department, the Ludlow Board of Selectmen interviewed three candidates before naming Bradford Tierney to fill the position during its Dec. 21 meeting.
The board spent most of the meeting interviewing the three candidates – Tierney, Jhon Wielblad and Brandon Vigneault – for the vacant position.
For each interview, the candidates made an opening statement, were asked set of questions by the board and gave a closing statement.
During his opening statement, Tierney discussed his leadership roles in the department including his time as a field training officer (FTO).
“With the department I am an acting sergeant and have been since July where I supervise the officers on the midnight shift. I am also a field training officer and have been since 2015 and I was the department’s first drug recognition expert and currently number one on the civil service list,” he said.
As an FTO, Tierney said he has direct contact with all new officers entering the department.
“You usually take the guys after they get out of the academy and complete that, then they are with you or someone else for about 12 weeks. So, you ride with them, they are in your car with you for eight hours a day and you bring them up to speed on how we operate at the Ludlow Police Department,” he said.
Tierney said one of the most important parts of being in a supervisor role is to build a sense of a trust with the officers he oversees.
“With morale, it is tough across the board with all law enforcement agencies at this point, but it is important to build a sense of trust with your officers and they can come to you if they have any issues with morale or anything going on,” he said.
Following the interviews, Police Chief Daniel Valadas said all three candidates were excellent officers worthy of becoming sergeant.
“They are young men, right around 30, but the level of service they can provide is because they are veteran officers, they are experienced, they have the tools and they have the talent. There is not a chief or police executive that would not want these three men working for them,” he said. “I am honored to have all three of them.”
Ultimately, Valadas recommended Tierney for this position.
“He has done everything I thought he was going to do, this man deserves a tremendous amount of respect not only for his military service, but for the way he carries himself. He is steady and I can count on him and in my opinion this sergeant’s position is well-deserved for acting Sergeant Bradford Tierney,” he said.
Board member James Gennette said he was also in favor of naming Tierney sergeant for the work he has done already as a supervisor.
“He has got seniority, he has been doing the position already for six months, he has been the FTO for the past six years, which means every police officer he could be supervising is already well known to him, he is first on the civil service list, I just do not see how we would not pick him,” he said.
Board member Derek DeBarge agreed with naming Tierney the new sergeant.
“If you take the totality of the circumstances here you go with time on the job, you go with time in the position, if you talk to people they say great things about all three, I have also heard Officer Tierney’s name quite a bit,” he said. “I mentioned some specific things in his cover letter – the officer in charge part, all of that – coupled with his experience I would also suggest Officer Tierney,” he said.
Board Chair William Rosenblum lauded each of the candidates but said Tierney was his recommendation.
“It is amazing to see the quality of candidates that come through across all our first responders, it is amazing and a testament to training and our department heads. I take the recommendation of those that work directly with any candidate very seriously and I hold it as one of my highest grading points,” he said. “Acting Sergeant Tierney checks all the boxes for me.”
The board unanimously agreed to name Tierney the patrol sergeant, effective at midnight on Dec. 22.
COVID-19 Update
During the meeting, the board also received an update on COVID-19 cases in town from Public Health Nurse Angela Kramer. Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 21, the town had 355 positive COVID-19 cases, up from the 203 cases reported during the Dec. 14 Board of Health meeting. Among the 355 cases, 213 cases were people who were not vaccinated while 125 were fully vaccinated, 14 had received a booster and three people had received their first shot.
She added most cases seem to be spreading in school age children.
“I am finding a lot in the younger population now, under 20. I am finding it with the kids and schools, but it is not from the schools, either they got it from their parents or activities or whatnot. I think the main message in the next three weeks is to be diligent if you are going to be in crowds,” she said.
Among the December cases, Kramer said 82 of the people were 19 years old or younger. As a result of those cases, she added there were several outbreaks at the Randall Community Center/Ludlow Boys and Girls club, requiring contact testing and isolation.
Board Vice Chair Antonio Goncalves said he was worried about the increase in cases.
“These numbers are scary, I think if we were to take a hard look at when this pandemic first started and everybody was running around, these numbers are getting really, really close if they have not already exceeded. Please be careful,” he said. “I have greater hope than I have fear in general, but it is slowly starting to dwindle, especially when you see the type of numbers coming up.”
Goncalves urged residents to take precautions as the COVID-19 numbers continue to rise.
“Get vaccinated if that is your thing, if not then maybe stay home a little bit more often. I do not think anybody has the right to make anybody else sick. Do the right thing and look out for everybody else if you are not looking out for yourself,” he said.
The Board of Selectmen will meet next on Jan. 4 and coverage of that meeting will appear in the Jan. 13 edition of The Reminder.