Pittsfield’s last permanent chief, Michael Wynn, stepped down last July after leading Berkshire County’s largest police force since 2007. Now, Thomas Dawley – the captain tapped by then-Mayor Linda Tyer to serve as interim chief – has been given the nod to stay full-time by first-term Mayor and former longtime city council president Peter Marchetti.
“Tom has been a dedicated member of the Pittsfield Police Department since 2002," said the mayor. "He began his career with the city as a patrol officer, became a detective, and then rose through the ranks as sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. During his career, Tom also served as a member of the FBI’s gang task force, where he would conduct drug investigations and criminal gang activity. Tom has received numerous awards and commendations throughout his career, including the Honorable Service Award, the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts award, the Massachusetts State Police Superintendent citation, and the staff instructor Award of Excellence from the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council among others.”
Dawley’s department has a $15 million line item in the 2025 Pittsfield budget, up 4.4% over the previous year’s spending.
“Tom has shown tremendous leadership and results throughout his career within the PPD and in his prior roles," Marchetti continued. "He is respected by his team and is always willing to lend a helping hand. Policing isn't always easy, and there are high expectations. I know Tom will rise to the challenge and serve this community with steadfast dedication, empathy, and diligence. I am honored that he's accepted this position, and know he will continue to be a reliable leader for the department and this community.”
District Attorney Timothy Shugrue praised Dawley’s work as chief to date.
“In the past year and a half under Chief Dawley’s leadership, the Pittsfield police officers – along with the strong law enforcement partnerships that the chief has already fostered – have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars of cocaine and other illegal drugs off the streets of Pittsfield," said the DA. "This cocaine was taken from large scale drug dealers. These drugs could have been sold far beyond the borders of Pittsfield. I can tell you that he has worked with my office, with the Pittsfield police officers, the drug unit, he's worked with our Berkshires County Law Enforcement Task Force, and in the last six weeks, took nine high level drug dealers off the street based upon his officers working in conjunction with our office.”
Berkshire County Sheriff Thomas Bowler says he’s prepared to continue a long working relationship with Dawley.
“I was with the PD since 1985 up until 2000," said the sheriff. "I went to the sheriff's office, came back in 2002 when Tom started. So, we kind of worked together. And I must say, my little grasshopper, you have learned well. I tried, one of the things I tried to do during my tenure is not only to investigate crimes and keep this community safe, but also to help guide and instruct the younger colleagues moving up- And I've seen that in Thomas, he's done that. And I’ve also seen his leadership skills at work, and he has instilled that same guidance and leadership qualities to others in the department. It's clearly seen, and I want to thank you very much. And we're really looking forward to this collaboration to continue on with the mayor and other public safety agencies.”
Dawley underscored his commitment to collaboration in his remarks.
“I have a lot of goals for my department, where we want to take this department, one of them being I want to make sure our staffing is going to be at full capacity," said the chief. "My command and first-line supervisors, I want to make sure that's in full capacity. Community engagement is a big part of me, a big part of my life. I grew up in Pittsfield, I have roots here, I want to see Pittsfield succeed, and I want to see my department succeed. We are not going to fail. We are going to do what we have to do to make this city the safest city, not only in Berkshire County, but in Massachusetts. That is one of my goals to working with Sheriff Bowler, DA Shugrue, and certainly the mayor. I am humbled. As I said, this is an honor. I never thought over 22 years ago that I'd be standing in front of you right now as the chief of police of Pittsfield. [It] certainly wasn't my goals in my career, but here I am. I'm here for you, I'm here for the city and the residents, and I'm certainly here for my officers for whatever you need.”
Marchetti alluded to calls for police reform in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the 2022 police killing of 22-year-old city man Miguel Estrella by noting his work with Dawley to bolster Pittsfield’s alternative emergency services.
“I want to stress how proud I am to be able to name you as chief, but also to tell you how impressed I've been in our working relationship for five months," said Marchetti. "Anytime I want to zig and zag, you’re zigging and zagging with me and trying to come up with a way to answer to the folks of downtown by trying to reengage a downtown bike patrol, and to your staff, the ideas that are coming out of the PPD that the chief is sharing with me- Keep those ideas flowing. I think people have heard mental health and substance use is an issue that's near and dear to me, and we're creating a mental health and substance use task force, but the chief and the team are already looking for, how do we create a joint diversion team to be able to do some of the work that we're looking for.”
