Royalton
James “Jim” Beraldi, who assumed the role on Monday, will work beside outgoing Chief Robert Hull until he retires at the end of the month.
“I was ready to step up to more responsibility,” the 44-year-old Beraldi said of why he chose to apply for the position in February. “It was time.”
Beraldi, a Sharon resident, has worked for the past year as a patrol officer at the Woodstock Police Department, where he plans to stay on the roster part-time.
Prior to his stint in Woodstock, he worked for seven years as a sergeant at the Windsor Police Department. He started his career in the 1990s at the Williston, Vt., Police Department, and after nine years moved to the Upper Valley with his wife.
Beraldi, who will make $59,000, grew up in Rutland and graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy.
The proximity to his hometown and the department’s commitment to community policing made the Royalton position an attractive one, Beraldi said.
“I really enjoy community policing,” Beraldi said of the framework that affords officers the ability to work closely with town residents. “I think Bob has got this place going in the right direction. I will hopefully learn from him over the next month and take that and continue to build the department.”
In years ahead, Beraldi said, he hopes to continue the positive relationship the police department has with the town and its residents. In addition, he hopes to sustain Royalton’s working relationship with the town of Sharon, which contracts with Royalton for its police services.
Other than that, he said, he doesn’t have any other long-term goals established.
“I will need to be here a while to see how everything is run — the lay of the land,” he said.
Hull, who has worked as Royalton’s chief for about 10 years, will step down on May 27. He turns 68 later this month.
Hull was a member of the interview committee tasked with finding his replacement. He said the town put an advertisement in the newspaper, which yielded responses from 15 prospective candidates.
The committee interviewed four of them and ultimately selected Beraldi as the best suited person for the position.
“He was into community policing and lived near the area,” Hull said. “We wanted somebody that would be close; that was one of the criteria.”
He added: “Anybody who he has worked for gave him excellent references.”
Selectboard Vice Chairwoman Peggy Ainsworth, who also sat on the interview committee, said the committee unanimously felt Beraldi would be the best fit for the town.
Though one of the other candidates worked for a department in the Upper Valley, she said, the others were from outside of Vermont and New Hampshire.
“It’s nice that he was a part of the Royalton/Sharon community,” Ainsworth said. “We were looking for someone who would be out amongst the people and not sitting in an office. We liked his experience and we were impressed with his references; they all spoke to what we were looking for.”
For now, Hull and Beraldi will work side by side. When the town resumes business after Memorial Day weekend, Beraldi will be the sole chief of the Royalton Police Department.
“I think he will do an excellent job,” Hull said.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.