The Aquinnah Select Board named Ryan Ruley, an Edgartown Police sergeant and a former Oak Bluffs Select Board member, as the town’s new chief of police on Tuesday.
Ruley’s appointment is effective on Nov. 6, the same day that longtime Chief Randhi Belain, who’s served the town for three decades, is scheduled to retire as chief.
The decision was made during a special meeting held by the board at 3 pm solely to appoint a new chief. Aquinnah Town Administrator Jeffrey Madison thanked members of the search committee, which he was a part of and also included Ken DiPietro, Sarah Thulin, and Durwood Vanderhoop. Madison said in the meeting that the committee reviewed five applicants and recommended Ruley as the new chief.
“We had a number of meetings, and had five applicants for this position, and are very proud of the decision we made,” Madison said.
Board members said the department has been rebuilding since spring, as staffing had fallen from four officers to one. The town had to rely on personnel from the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office and Massachusetts State Police for patrols, at a hefty cost.
Belain served in the department for three decades, and his father served as chief before him. He was the lone man in the department as the town tried to shore up its police roster, as one officer left on medical leave, one retired, and one transferred to the West Tisbury Police Department. Since then, Christopher P. Manning, also a member of the Aquinnah Select Board, joined the department from Tisbury as a full-time officer in December, and Krystle Anderson was hired as a full-time police officer in June, though she won’t graduate from Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) recruit officer class until April 2027.
But Belain won’t be leaving outright after Nov. 6. Belain was appointed by the board to become a special officer, effective Nov. 7.
Board members described Ruley as an ambassador to community members, and said they were delighted to welcome him to the town.
In an interview with The Times, Ruley said the appointment “feels great.”
“I’m excited. It’s a new adventure,” Ruley said after the meeting.
During the meeting, Madison highlighted Ruley’s experience in law enforcement, including as an Aquinnah Police officer from 2005 through 2012, as a police detective, as a patrol officer working security at Boston College, as part of the Chatham Police Department, and as a current Edgartown Police sergeant.
Ruley made a point that his goal is to build on the solid foundation that Belain laid over the past 30 years at the department, more than 20 of which were spent as chief.
“I’ve been afforded a lot of great experience in Edgartown … so it made sense for me to try to take that next step,” Ruley said. He said he discussed the opportunity with his family this past week, and decided it would be a good fit.
Ruley said he hopes to bring an open-door approach to the department and town, have officers out in the community, including at the Wapanoag Tribe of Gay Head’s (Aquinnah) building, and learn about Aquinnah culture to provide the best public safety the department can for the town.
