VERNON -- After more than four years serving the town of Vernon, Mary Beth Hebert has taken the reins of the police department.
Hebert, currently the only woman in the county leading a police department, was appointed the town’s acting chief by the Selectboard on Oct. 26 following the termination of former chief Kevin Turnley.
In her first two weeks on the job, she has focused solely on her new administrative duties during a chaotic time in the department’s history.
The Vernon police staff is in a transitional period with a new interim chief, working with the county sheriff’s department until town officers return to active duty and vacant part-time and full-time positions. Hebert said her first goal is to get the department smoothly through the leadership change.
"I’m just taking care of the daily things right now," she said. "There’s a lot to do, and I have a lot of plans for the department."
Hebert said she is excited for the opportunity to bring a different style of leadership to the force. Her main interest as acting chief is the citizens of Vernon, vowing to provide the best services directly to them.
"I want the people of Vernon to know they can come to me with any problems or concerns," she said. "I would prefer to have them speak to me directly."
Growing up in a small town, Hebert said policing in a community with fewer than 3,000 residents has its challenges, but it also provides a people-oriented
"I’m more than happy to do that. I want to make sure I’m very accessible," she said. "I like to get to know the people I’m working for."
According to Hebert, the department will answer calls about animals in town and investigate each situation, something several residents said was not happening in a timely manner. The department will also continue to probe other criminal acts in town that have not been solved in the past few months.
She has also discussed the possibility of establishing a ranking structure to establish a supervisory order to delegate responsibilities.
In the upcoming months, she also plans to dig into the 2008 police audit conducted on the department by private investigator James Cronan of Colchester. The audit called for the department to amend the policies and procedures, which have not been updated since their inception in 1977.
As her tenure continues, Hebert said she would like to open conversations with the board about making her move to chief permanent.
"I would look forward to that dialogue if that were to happen ... that would be a great opportunity for me," she said.
In a statement from the Selectboard, the members said Hebert brings a lot of experience in law enforcement as well as interpersonal dynamics to the position.
"The board has confidence that she will bring the police department through this period using the resources of Vernon officers, the Windham County Sheriff’s office as well as the police academy. The result will be that both the department as well as the citizens will understand the role of the Vernon PD in the town of Vernon," according to the Selectboard members.
"To that end, the board encourages respectful dialogue with Vernon PD personnel to provide input as to the services you want to see provided by the department."
Originally from Massachusetts, Hebert graduated in 1993 from the municipal academy in Canton, Mass., which was operated by the state police.
She rose to the rank of lieutenant at Dean College before moving to a full-time municipal position. She came to Vernon in 2005 and currently lives in Putney.
Chris Garofolo can be reached at cgarofolo@reformer.com or 802-254-2311 ext. 275.
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