By David Fortier
Police Chief Brian Gould, who saw Bristol through the tragedy of Oct. 12, announced at last night’s city council meeting that he will be retiring in early April.
“With a very heart and after much consideration, I have decided not to renew my contract and therefore I will be retiring when my contract expires,” Gould said as part of special request to address the council, a request that was a surprise since it was not on the agenda.
“This is something that I have been thinking about,” Gould said, ” and I could not in good faith enter into full contractual negotiations knowing that my retirement was near at hand.”
Gould’s contract is up for renewal on April 6. He will have completed 30 years in the Bristol Police Dept. on March 25, 22 years as an officer and eight as chief.
“This decision comes with much difficulty and very mixed emotions,” he said and added that “it has truly been an honor to serve and protect this great community and I will never ever, ever be able to express my gratitude for the opportunity to serve with the great men and women, past and present, of the Bristol Police Department.”
At the same time, he said he would never be able to express his gratitude to the community of Bristol.
“There are many communities that have taglines, monikers, tenets,” he said. “Our community has several. ‘We are one,’ ‘Bristol strong,’ ‘All-Heart,’ without question, the community of Bristol lives up to these tenets.”
This was never more apparent to him than what the city witnessed after the tragic events on Oct. 12, 2022, when two officers were ambushed and killed.
“Three of our finest, bravest and most noble, were ambushed in the line of duty. Two of them, the great Lt. Dustin Demonte and the great Sgt. Alex Hamzy, were killed in action and would never come home to their beautiful families.
“The great Officer Alec Iurato, severely injured, foraged ahead in battle and stopped the immediate threat to society. From that moment on, this community rallied and demonstrated for all to see that we are one, we are Bristol strong, we are all-heart. For that, Bristol, I am forever grateful.”
Gould also said he would miss serving with city personnel.
“I have had the privilege of working with a very talented team of department heads,” he said.
He thanked the mayor and the city council, past and present, for their support.
To fellow officers who are on the front lives, he said, that he has much respect, deep admiration and appreciation for what they do.
“Each and every day, first line personnel leave their families to go to work, they protect and serve others knowing there is uncertainly and unpredictability, but we know one thing for sure and that is when danger presents and others flee, out finest, bravest and most noble with drive to and through that danger with the objective of stopping it in its tracks and at many times at their expense.”
For that, he said, he would be forever grateful.
He thanked the Bristol Police Dept. family for being the best.
“I will never be able to express my respect, admiration and love that I have for you,” he said. “You are all remarkable, incredibly resilient, and I am honored to know and serve with each and every one of you. You are the best, and you brought the very best out of me. You helped me to be complete as a person. You made me better.”
He said that future of the Bristol Police Dept. is in great hands and will continue to grow beyond anything he might imagine.
He said he is looking forward to new experiences and opportunities that have arisen for his family, and that it is the right decision.
“My heart aches because I love and care for you, all of you, I love what I do, I love the people, the community I serve; I love the people, the community I serve with,” he said. “At the same time, my heart is comforted because this has been a great ride and all great rides come to an end.”
He said that he would end that ride with his fist pumping in the air, smiling and laughing and forever bragging about how he had a front row seat in the great city of Bristol.
Gould then asked the Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano to sign his retirement papers and approached the dais.
As he did, the mayor said, “And while you come up, I would love to give you back your key to the city, by the way, there is no body who has earned the key to the city more than you.”
He handed the key to Gould and also presented Gould with a commemorative coin from the 2023 National Law Enforcement conference, where Gould represented Bristol on behalf of the officers involved in Oct. 12.
“Bristol will sorely miss you,” the mayor said. “But I am very happy for you and your family.”
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