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Date: 2/14/2023
LUDLOW – Brandon Vigneault from the Ludlow Police Department has been promoted to sergeant after serving as acting sergeant since July 2022.
Ludlow Police Chief Dan Valadas and the Board of Selectmen conducted interviews with Jhon Wielblad, Vigneault and Derek Smolinski at its Feb. 7 meeting before deciding to assign the rank to Vigneault.
Vigneault was born and raised in Ludlow and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in sociology.
He said that he is proud to come from a law enforcement family where his father and uncles were police officers and mother worked at a juvenile court.
His law enforcement career began in 2010 when Vigneault was hired as a correctional officer by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department.
He was hired by the Ludlow Police Department in 2013 where he started as a patrol officer and appointed to narcotics investigator in 2019 before coming acting sergeant in July 2022.
“I have enjoyed my time in the Ludlow Police Department. I have seen a lot of different things and knew what I was getting myself into. I have no regrets with what I do, and I am proud of it. I have never aspired to leave Ludlow for state level or anything because I enjoy the town.”
Board of Selectmen Chair Tony Goncalves asked, “What is the biggest issue facing Ludlow right now and what do you think we need to do to saddle it?”
Vigneault said, “Drugs is always an easy answer because it is always a problem and battle. Drug addiction itself is one of the worse things. It is still here, and we are reporting at least once a month to drug overdoses. It is tough to deal with. I think the best thing to combat that is early intervention. It is important to get kids in programs early and expose them how bad drugs can be.”
Selectman Manny Silva asked Vigneault one thing he would like to see implemented in the department.
Vigneault responded, “If we go towards a community relations aspect, we could do a citizen’s academy as a good program. It would be tough to get up and running but the big thing is you would need people who want to do it.”
Selectman Bill Rosenblum asked, “What separates you from the other candidates?”
“I think it is a combination of a couple things,” Vigneault said, “I have been on the job for 10 years and my experience I have gained helps me separate myself. I was also given the opportunity to work with a special response team in Ludlow from 2016 to 2019. We respond to the most critical instances typically involving guns or weapons. Dealing with these situations gives me an upper hand.”
Vigneault added that he would like to see communication with the public continue with the department’s social media pages and host open houses for the community “to get exposure.”
“I believe sergeant is a supervisor and leader of the patrolmen. You must be able to instill confidence in them and have an open and good relationship with everyone. Quality leadership, being self-aware, humble and confident is what a leader does. When someone looks to you for answers you have them and if you don’t, you must be willing to find them.”
Valadas said the sergeant is the most valuable position in the Police Department and talked about what he liked about each candidate.
He said, “I am in a great position. All these officers you saw today, any chief or agency would love to have all three of them. There are all town residents and fathers who are invested in the community. They serve with pride and integrity.”
Valadas added “Vigneault is an officer who is a natural leader. He has that certain ability to command the respect from every department and task force he has worked with. He has the most diverse experience of all the candidates. He had to perform at each level and took on a lot of responsibilities that he handled with ease.”
The Board of Selectmen had positive comments to make about each candidate but eventually decided on Vigneault based on his leadership, past experiences along with other answers.
Goncalves concluded, “We are fortunate to have these three guys. I hope they hang in there and keep doing great things.”