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Date: 4/12/2022
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY – Pittsfield native and current Florence resident John Vanasse recently announced his candidacy for the Hampshire County Sheriff position.
Vanasse, 45, told Reminder Publishing that having a greater presence within the community will be one of his top priorities if he were to be elected sheriff. The reason for this, according to Vanasse, is because a lot of people he talks to in the community have no concrete idea of who the Hampshire sheriff is.
“Should I be elected, they’re going to know in Hampshire County, who the Hampshire County sheriff is,” Vanasse said. “I don’t mean that in a bad way, I don’t mean that in a good way. I am going to be in the community, my officers are going to be in the community … the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department is going to service the community.”
Currently an administrative lieutenant for the Springfield College Police Department, Vanasse plans to run as an independent candidate in the Nov. 8 general election. Corrections nurse Caitlin Sepeda, correction educator Yvonne Gittelson and Sheriff Patrick Cahillane will run against each other in the Democratic primary race on Sept. 6.
Before taking the job at Springfield College, Vanasse was involved in several different positions involving law enforcement and education. Prior to relocating to Western Massachusetts over 15 years ago, Vanasse was deputy director for safety and security at the Massachusetts State House and throughout Government Center in Boston. He then became a criminal justice instructor in Springfield before working as a director of security in Springfield Public Schools for a little over a half a decade.
Additionally, Vanasse was an instructor of criminal justice at Westfield High School for a little over a year before taking a job as the head of the American International College Police Department. He also holds an undergraduate degree in criminology and law from Suffolk University and a Master of Science degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College.
As someone who worked at the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department as a correction officer and deputy sheriff from 2015 to 2018, Vanasse noted how outdated the corrections facility is on 205 Rocky Hill Rd. in Northampton. “If you go into that jail right now, you are walking back in time,” said Vanasse. “That jail was built in 1984, which, when you think about the history of things, not super old when you compare that jail to every other jail in just Western Massachusetts alone.”
Vanasse remembers when he had to write reports and complete shift logs on typewriters during his experience with the Hampshire County jail, a process that is still being utilized today. “It’s inefficient, it’s not moving into the 21st century, which is where law enforcement needs to go,” said Vanasse, in reference to the typewriting process.
Aside from that, Vanasse also stated that the building, the training process with officers and the programs for justice-involved people needs to be updated. Specifically, he wants the jail to provide programs that will be of more help for justice-involved people when they later search for a job in the outside world.
“One of the shops in the jail for inmates to gain skills to move on once they leave the jail and go into the workforce again is caning a chair,” said Vanasse. “Is it a skill that might be needed? Absolutely. But, the inmates, once they leave the jail, they’re not going to find a job in a caning shop.”
If elected sheriff, Vanasse said that part of his outreach to the 20 towns and cities that cover the county will involve promoting law enforcement positions as admirable professions, especially through visits to schools. He also claims that the current administration at the jail was “late to the game” in terms of substance abuse disorder, and as a result, Vanasse wants to create a program for all Hampshire County residents who seek assistance with substance abuse.
Aside from those issues, Vanasse also hopes to prioritize mental health in the jail through empathetic communication with employees and justice-involved people.
“Correction officers have probably the best communication skills within the law enforcement spectrum,” said Vanasse. “And this is something I want to highlight within the community.”
If he were to become sheriff, Vanasse said he also wants to advocate for the idea that all people in law enforcement should receive the same level of training so they can be dynamic members of the community. With better-trained officers, Vanasse believes that the jail can offer more helpful programs. “One of the things I want to do is make [training] available for officers who want to get more training to be out in the community,” said Vanasse.
Lastly, Vanasse told Reminder Publishing that he hopes to be a viable support resource for law enforcement agencies and departments across the Hampshire County landscape. He specifically would like to focus on assisting the smaller departments that may be short-staffed.
“I want to reach out to all of the sheriffs, and ask, ‘what are you lacking, and how can we make this better going forward,’ because right now they’re being ignored,” he said.
This campaign, according to Vanasse, has been the culmination of what he has wanted to do from a career standpoint since he was 6 years old. As he continues to campaign, Vanasse carries a saying that he hopes will resonate: “I’m for the county, I’m in the community.”
“One of the things I want the community to know is I’m going to be a resource for them,” said Vanasse. “I’m going to help with whatever needs to be helped with. I’m all about community.”