BRADFORD – After more than 40 years in law enforcement, Police Chief Russell Robinson is turning in his badge.
“(I) have been doing some serious soul-searching and have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to end my law enforcement career,” Robinson wrote to the Selectboard at the end of August.
The motion to accept Robinson’s retirement “passed with great regret” at a Selectboard meeting in September, according to meeting minutes.
Robinson’s last day as Bradford Police Chief will be Oct. 31.
Prior to joining the Bradford Police Department in 2014, Robinson spent roughly 30 years working with Vermont State Police.
“His experience as a state police officer and his certifications as a state police officer have greatly enhanced our department,” Selectboard Chairwoman Meroa Benjamin said in an interview on Tuesday.
In his retirement memo, Robinson urged the Selectboard “to have serious discussions regarding the police department and the best way to move forward.”
Sgt. David Shaffer, the only other member of the department, will fill the role vacated by Robinson on Oct. 31, Benjamin said.
“I do appreciate the support of many people within the community over the past several years however I have seen a dramatic decrease in support and believe in my heart it is time to retire,” Robinson wrote to the Selectboard in August.
Robinson previously pushed for the expansion of the department, and the Selectboard put the proposal on the agenda for voters to decide at Town Meeting.
The estimated cost of $250,000 for salary, medical insurance, equipment and potentially a third police cruiser to add two more full-time officers would have doubled the sum allocated for the police department in the town’s budget.
Ultimately, voters rejected the proposal.
“I can at least feel good the day I do decide to retire that, ‘Hey, I tried,’ ” Robinson told the Valley News in February.
Bradford shifted to a two-person department roughly 20 years ago. Before that, the town had a part-time constable.
Bradford isn’t the town it used to be when it comes to the nature and number of crimes, Benjamin told the Valley News on Tuesday.
Last year, Bradford Police and Vermont State Police responded to over 1,500 calls for service in town, including drug investigations, suspicious circumstances, domestic situations, assaults, unlawful mischief, mental health, property checks, alarms, DUIs and court-ordered documents to be served, the Valley News previously reported.
The Bradford outpost of the Vermont State Police scaled back operations from full-time to part-time use around 10 years ago. As a result, the nearest source of support became the state police barracks in St. Johnsbury, about 30 miles away.
In 2016, the leadership of the Bradford outpost merged into the St. Johnsbury barracks.
Robinson, who became the town’s police chief in 2019, and Shaffer, who joined the department in 2021, cover a combined 80 hours of service per week, with State Police providing town coverage the rest of the time.
“They both have experiences that a regular new police officer would not have,” Benjamin said.
Following Shaffer’s promotion to police chief with Robinson’s retirement, Benjamin said the town will begin the process of recruiting a new full-time officer.
The town plans to maintain a two-man department, she said.
“We’ll go through some growing pains,” she said. “But everything happens for a reason.”
Robinson did not respond to multiple phone and email requests for comment.
