Lt. Chris Neville Retiring From WPD

Chris Neville still remembers his job interview with the Wilmington Police Department, even 34 years later. When he was asked what he wanted to accomplish in the job, his answer was simple. He wanted to help people.

Mission accomplished.

The veteran lieutenant is retiring from the department in April after decades of service in a long list of roles.

“I’ve tried to carry that goal throughout my career, and tried to treat people fairly, even those that I arrested,” said Neville. “I’m at a position in my life where I have my health, I have my pension, and I want to stay busy. It’s a point where it’s time to walk away from some of the day-to-day tasks of police work.”

During his career, Neville, 59, was a patrolman, juvenile officer, street supervisor, detective and detective lieutenant.

Lt. Joe Desmond, who joined the department in 1988, said he learned a great deal from Neville and is sad to see him go.

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from an officer who told me to look around at senior officers and try to emulate what you like about the way they handle their job,” said Desmond. “I would say that over the years, for me that has been Chris Neville.”

Desmond said Neville always had a great enthusiasm for his career, and that even with retirement on the horizon, Neville remains focused and dedicated to his position.

“Chris’s combination of compassion for people and his determination to dig into every aspect of crime is something the younger officers could learn from,” said Desmond. “If this was the NFL, I would tell the Town Manager to put the franchise tag on him and make him stay. However, he has earned the retirement he has coming.”

Neville said the biggest changes he’s seen in his tenure are technological advances that led to new kinds of crime like identity theft, credit card fraud and internet stalking.

But with new technology has come a new way to solve crimes as well. Neville established an e-mail sharing system with a network of nearly 1,000 people that Desmond said is a legacy that should be carried on.

A reception and roast to honor Neville’s retirement is slated for Thursday, May 10, at the Tewksbury Country Club from 6:30-11 p.m. Cost is $30 per ticket to benefit the Wilmington Police Association. Basked stuffed chicken or baked haddock will be served as a meal, and anyone interested can contact Susan O’Neil for details.

The end is near for Neville in the Wilmington Police Department, with his last day set for April 2. But the lieutenant still holds a strong passion for his job, the same passion he showed at his job interview 34 years ago.

“The satisfaction of catching the bad guy, I still take a lot of pride in that. The thrill of the chase hasn’t left me,” said Neville. “When you bring closure to a victim, in terms of financial recovery or making an arrest of someone who has violated them, I still take a lot of pleasure from that. It all falls back on helping people, which is why I took this job.”