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Williamstown names Ziemba permanent police chief after two years as interim

Williamstown, Massachusetts Police Chief Michael Ziemba.
Williamstown Police Department
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https://www.williamstownmapolice.com/
Williamstown, Massachusetts Police Chief Michael Ziemba.

Williamstown, Massachusetts has chosen its interim police chief to take the permanent position after two years on the job.

Williamstown’s last permanent chief, Kyle Johnson, resigned in December 2020 after a series of scandals involving sexual harassment, racism, and misconduct emerged from the department that summer. Ziemba, then a lieutenant, stepped into the vacancy. Town Manager Bob Menicocci says the 22-year veteran of the force has the experience and integrity needed for the permanent job.

“It's about bringing visibility, transparency, and just a high level of structure and command structure around the policies, procedures of the work," he told WAMC. "So, Mike has been busy doing that work long preceding my arrival. So, it's nice to be able to step in and see the level of work that had been done."

The wave of scandals also prompted the resignation of Menicocci’s predecessor, Jason Hoch, in 2021.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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