Hilltown looks for top cop

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By OWEN BOSS

Staff Writer

WILLIAMSBURG - Officials are looking for new Police Department leadership after the controversial departure of Police Chief John Cotton, who stepped down mere days before his contract with the town was due to expire.

Select Board Chairman Jeffrey Ciuffreda said Cotton, 57, sent board members a letter notifying them that he would be retiring June 27, three days before his contract expired.

Cotton said he was surprised that after four years as part-time chief, his retirement would come without being recognized somehow by the Select Board, which voted a year ago to not renew his contract and to switch the post to full-time, despite a Town Meeting vote requesting it remain part-time.

The board decided to make the position full time last June, and Cotton did not want to work beyond part time.

Although it garnered enough support to make its way onto the Town Meeting warrant and passed a June 1 vote, a ballot item requesting that Cotton remain the part-time police chief was nonbinding, as the board has the sole authority to appoint the chiefs of the local fire and police departments, according to officials. Now that Cotton has officially retired, Ciuffreda said Sgt. Denise Wickland has been appointed as acting chief while board members look for candidates for the position.

"The Select Board has before it a draft of a job description that we will fine-tune to more accurately suit Williamsburg," Ciuffreda said. Cuiffreda said he felt the board's decision to wait until after Cotton's contract expired to begin the search for a replacement was made to ensure the transition was as smooth as possible.

Cotton worked the majority of his 35-year career in law enforcement as a member of the Northampton Police Department, reaching the rank of senior lieutenant before becoming Williamsburg's interim chief in July 2005.

Cotton said he was notified of the board's plan more than a year ago when it voted 2 to 1 not to reappoint him when his contract expired this year.

Members Ciuffreda and David E. Mathers approved the decision, while Denise L. Banister voted against approving the decision.

Shortly after the vote, Cotton said the board asked him to sign a memorandum of understanding that included a nondisclosure statement and that he give them a definite date for his retirement.

"I didn't agree with any of it, so I didn't sign it," Cotton said.

When he joined the Williamsburg police in 2005, Cotton said he inherited a department that was disorganized and without the equipment necessary to properly serve the community.

"When I started in July 2005, there was no Police Department. The keys to the front door were lying on the inside of the building, and the doors were locked on the outside," Cotton said. "I hired officers, purchased equipment and got the community involved."

Cotton took over as chief after the previous police chief, Patrick Archbald, and several officers resigned amidst controversy after the Select Board decided to eliminate their positions in the spring of 2005.

In July 2008, Cotton was reportedly working nine hours a week and made about $18,000 annually from his part-time salary. When responding to emergency calls off duty, he was paid about $42 an hour. In total, he reportedly earned about $31,000 in fiscal 2008. He said he'll look back fondly on his time as chief.

"I loved serving in Williamsburg; it is a great community with wonderful people," he said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com