After eight years serving as the Chief of Police, and over 30 years of service to the town, West Tisbury Police Chief Matthew L. Mincone has informed the town that he will retire on Oct. 3.
Mincone, who began his career with the West Tisbury Police Department in 1991 and became a full time officer in ‘95, expressed gratitude to the town for the opportunity to serve.
“I remain grateful that the town took the chance on a 25-year-old ‘wash-ashore’ and allowed me the opportunity to call West Tisbury Home,” Mincone said in his letter to the Select Board.
In an interview with the Times, Mincone reflected on his tenure.
“My plan was to stay here and I did. I care deeply about this town,” he said.
The Chief received some praise from his bosses this week. West Tisbury Select Board member Skipper Manter saw Mincone grow from a rookie, into the leader of the Department.
“I was with the department on Matty Mincone’s first day,” Manter told The Times. “He jumped in as a very dedicated, young officer. He rose up through the ranks, and then he led the department as the Police Chief.
“Whenever a leader goes, they are always missed, but you look forward to going into the process of picking their successor.”
Mincone emphasized his commitment to continuing serving as Chief throughout the transition process.
“I’m not done, I’m not this lame-duck Chief for the next five and a half months, I’ll still be here until October,” he said. ‘It’s comforting for me to know as I depart from my role of Chief of Police, the community is being left with a police department that is well equipped, trained, and committed to serving the needs of our citizens and guests.”
Last month, Mincone also announced that he would be stepping aside from his coaching duties with the MVRHS hockey team; he had been a coach for 27 years.
“As far as my future I’ve always used the analogy of creating a new page in each chapter of my story,” he said. “Now it’s time to close this book and begin to author the next.”
The greatest compliment is the lack of controversy during his tenure as chief
Great Chief. Highly professional and well-run police department.