CHICOPEE — Chicopee Police Chief Patrick Major announced that he will retire on Jan. 5 after three-plus years of serving in the position.
“It’s been coming for a while,” Major said. “I just turned 57 not long ago. I’ve put in a good career here. I’m just hoping to spend some quality time with my wife going into the future.”
Major has been part of the Chicopee Police Department in different capacities since 1992. He was hired full-time in 1997. He said his time with the force has been “quite a journey.”
“I’ve enjoyed my time here going through the ranks, going through the different departments or areas of the department, from patrol through the detective bureau drug unit,” he said. “The time overseeing the special response team and the dive team, I really, truly enjoyed that. I got to see tremendous effort by the members of those teams and definitely learned a lot.”
Major was appointed as the city’s police chief by Mayor John Vieau in April 2022. He further reflected on his time as chief in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
“I’ve told some people it’s a position I never really thought that I’d be in to be honest with you,” he said. “It was a little overwhelming at first, but I’ve had fantastic support from everybody from the department, from the mayor, from the council, and I consider myself very fortunate.”
Major replaced former Police Chief William Jebb, who retired after 34 years of service.
Major said joining the police force was something that he was interested in since he was a young child.
While serving as a full-time mechanic at the 104th Fighter Wing, his brother was hired by the Chicopee Police Department.
After conversations with his brother, Major said it was something that he wanted to do.
“I can honestly say I don’t have any regrets,” Major stated. “There’s a lot of choices out there for careers, and this is the one. I really think I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else.”
Major said that he achieved one of his first priorities when he became chief, attracting more officers to the department.
“We were down a number of officers, and with the support from the mayor and the council, we managed to bring our numbers up to a respectable number,” Major said.
Major also highlighted some technological upgrades the department has added, including the implementation of Chicopee’s real time information center and body worn cameras.
“That goes along with the 21st century policing report,” he said. “That was one of the pillars that that report had discussed was technology being the future of policing. I can say that our department is definitely leading the way, if not at the state, at least in New England and further.”
Although Major’s retirement date is Jan. 5, his final day in the department will be Dec. 31.
Prior to joining the Chicopee Police Department, Major served in the U.S. military and earned a degree in criminal justice from Quincy College. He talked about his excitement to finally have time to relax and spend quality time with his wife.
“I’ve been going full-time since I was 17,” Major said. That’s when I went into the military. No respite after I got out, immediately went into guard, and I’ve been going nonstop since then. So, [I’m] taking a little time to decompress and let everything go over the last 40 years and honestly spend some great time with my wife. She’s been waiting patiently for me to retire, and now we have some time to enjoy for ourselves.”
Major is unsure about the timeline for finding the city’s next police chief but said that Deputy Chief Eric Watson will serve as the acting chief in the interim.
“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to serve to serve the residents of the city,” Major said. “My goal when I became chief was to take what was given to me by the previous chiefs and bring it forward and make some progress. I hope they appreciate the efforts that this department has made over the last few years.”
