Edgartown Police Chief Bruce McNamee will be retiring by the end of September after leading the town’s police force for over six years.
McNamee was appointed to lead the Edgartown Police Department by the town’s select board in 2018. By then, he had a 24-year career in law enforcement, including as an officer with the Massachusetts Environmental Police and 10 years as administrative captain in the Plymouth Police Department.
McNamee told the Times that the Edgartown department is in “great shape” and he felt the time was ripe to hand over the reins to a new chief after a half-a-dozen years serving the town.
“It’s time to try something different and have someone else lead the agency,” he said.
With news of his retirement, Edgartown town administrator James Hagerty praised McNamee and said he anticipates the hiring process for a new chief will be finalized in the coming weeks.
“Chief McNamee brought exceptional professionalism, leadership, and dedication to the Edgartown Police Department,” Hagerty said in an email. “He successfully assimilated into Island culture and became an integral part of the community, a feat not to be understated on Martha’s Vineyard. Through numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Massachiestts criminal justice reform, he propelled the police department forward and his accomplishments will have a lasting impact.”
The chief has always worn a uniform of some kind during his military and law enforcement careers, starting with his enlistment in the Navy when he was 17 years old. Still, McNamee said leading the Edgartown Police Department as chief was the best role he has been in “without question.”
“I’m very proud of my time here,” McNamee said.
Reminiscing on his time in Edgartown, he said policing in the down-Island town had an “interesting model.” With the population exploding during the summer months, the police force would not expand much, which McNamee said was a challenge for him initially when he first came aboard as chief. He also said the various “dignitaries” that came into town made it so his department developed “terrific partnerships” with federal agencies.
“It’s more than small town policing,” he said. “There are other aspects of Edgartown that make it unique for a police chief.”
McNamee said the position gave him the opportunity to work with “very smart and very empathetic people,” and he was glad to have played a “small role” in “finding solutions.” These included tackling on-Island overdoses that were frequent when he became chief, new police reform initiatives that were launched by the state in 2020, and getting the Edgartown Police accredited in 2019. The accreditation is awarded by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission to departments that initiate an effort to meet “best practices.” McNamee said not many departments had this designation at the time.
Among ongoing efforts, the chief, and a number of other people on the Island, had been pushing for developing a co-response model that would have a clinician work accompanying a police officer when a call comes in relating to mental health — which McNamee anticipates will happen in the near future.
Among the notable moments in his tenure, McNamee pointed to 2022 when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decided to fly 50 asylum seekers to Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Island first responders jumped in to help the asylum seekers, and McNamee said his department played a big part in this. The asylum seekers were temporarily housed at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Edgartown before being escorted off of the Island to Join Base Cape Cod.
“I’m very proud of what we did,” McNamee said. He added, however, that the photo of him next to the bus asylum seekers were boarding when they were leaving the Island circulated on television news more than he would have liked.
With retirement on the horizon, McNamee said he’ll now have more time to play the bagpipes. Islanders may recognize McNamee from his time playing the Scottish instrument while wearing a kilt during ceremonies, including the Memorial Day Parade. He also plays with the Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drum, and he is “anxious” to have more time to play. McNamee said he is also exploring the possibility of entering a law enforcement consulting position.
All in all, McNamee said he can reflect on the Edgartown chapter of his career with pride.
“I can’t thank the community here enough,” McNamee said.
Chief McNamee has done an outstanding job as Chief here in Edgartown. In working with him to attempt to improve road safety, including his championing a poster that was on all ferry boats two years ago with recommendations of how to have a safe trip to the Vineyard, he was responsive, proactive and just about the nicest person I’ve had the pleasure to know. Congratulations, Bruce, and hope your next adventure is a wonderful one. Edgartown will miss you!
Wow does this make 4 police chiefs in Edgartown Alone getting pensions over $100k a year and we still will need to hire a new police chief at $150k a year. This is what it cost for this one position in town And the math is replicated for every other position. Then multiply this by every other town on the island. Let’s wake up people we need to think about regionalizing our public service.
Maybe if housing wasn’t such an issue turnover wouldn’t be either….
#REGIONALIZEMV
#REGIONALIZECAPEANDISLANDS ?
The Island has a regional police force. It is called the Massachusetts State Police.
Is that what you want?
Of the over $100k received by each retired retired police chiefs how much comes from taxes?
How much should an Island police chief make?
How much should the Island Police Chief make?
And their lieutenants?
How much do our State Police make.
Why do we have have both town and state police.
The State Police are regional?
We have a regional high school?
How is that working out?
Is the Principal overpaid?
Are you?
Bob, how many similar positions in other towns across the US (or the world, for that matter) pay the same or more?
Bob has no idea. . .
Albert always goes off track this is about trying to consolidate the duplication of public tax payer jobs on this small island to help the tax payer save some money. It is crazy the amount of wasted tax dollars on duplication for this small community. At some point this will change we may not be around for it but it will as it can not go on for ever the way it is. I think to the future of the island and the people that will be living here.
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