Danvers Police Chief Always Said He Would Not Be a Seat Warmer

Danvers Police Chief Neil F. Ouellette’s last day on the job will be Friday.

“I always said I wouldn’t be a seat warmer,” Chief Ouellette said. He joined the Danvers Police Department in January 1979 as an Auxiliary police officer, and advanced through the ranks over the years. He has served as chief since 2005.

“i will turn in my car keys and office keys to the Captain on Friday at 1:30,” Chief Ouellette said.

Though he is retiring from the Danvers Police Department, Chief Ouellette said he will not retire.

“I couldn’t stop working,” he said, though he has not yet decided what options he will pursue.

There are 46 sworn positions in the Danvers Police Department, and 59 total staff. Chief Ouellette said he is proud of his accomplishments and police career, notably the jail diversion program.

Addtionally, the Danvers Police Department was awarded national accreditation in November 2014 for the 28th consecutive year. Danvers was the first and is the longest standing police department in Massachusetts to achieve such high levels of national law enforcement standards.

“Things are looking pretty good,: Chief Ouellette said.

While Chief Ouellette has no intentions of moving from town, he said he wouldn’t mind spending winters somewhere warm.

“Somewhere where you can drive a boat all year,” Chief Ouellette said.

Chief Ouellette held various specialty assignments including: Background investigator, acting lieutenant assigned as court prosecutor, and evidence and property manager.

Chief Ouellette was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in April 1999, and served as Operations Division Commander responsible for patrol, detectives, and dispatch. During that time, Chief Ouellette was also the liaison to the Downtown Business Committee, Saturn Blue Representative, and the Police Department’s liaison to the School Safety Committee. Working with representatives from the School and Fire Departments, school crisis plans were established for the Town’s schools.

Chief Ouellette was promoted to the rank of Captain in May of 2003. He was the Department’s Executive Officer responsible for Internal Affairs, Recruitment and Selection, Training, and Public Information. In January 2005 he was promoted to the rank of Chief of Police.

Chief Ouellette established the Department’s Explorer Post. He is an adjunct professor at North Shore Community College in Danvers and previously lectured at Endicott College in Beverly.

He has attained the following professional affiliations and accomplishments within his tenure as a Danvers Police Executive; President of Essex County Chiefs of Police Association, Representative to the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Associations Executive Board, Chairman of the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council’s Technology Committee, Past Chairman of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association Technology Committee, Past Co-Chairman of Essex County Regional Operations Center Steering Committee, and he participated in the International Association of Chiefs of Police Intelligence Sharing Summit November 2007.

Captain Patrick Ambrose will serve as the department’s interim police chief.