Norman Miller|MetroWest Daily News
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SHERBORN — With his father a police chief in Wayland and his brother a police officer in Northborough, it was almost destined that Tom Galvin was going to join a department somewhere.
ButGalvin planned to avoid his destiny.
“I can safely say (that) when I graduated high school, I didn’t think I was going to be a police officer,” he said. “I went to UMass Amherst and I studied business. I was kind of looking for my own thing, but after two years, deep down, I knew, I grew up with it. I knew it was something I really wanted to do.”
Twenty-three years into his policing career, Galvin, 47, was appointed Sherborn's police chief on Nov. 1.
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Galvin joined the Wayland Police Department in 1998, when his father, Gerald Galvin, was chief.
“For three years, I went to work knowing my boss was wrong no matter what he said,” said Galvin. “I was young and thought I knew everything. I think the perception was, ‘Here’s this kid, the chief’s kid, he’s going to get everything he wants.’ Well, I guess I wanted to work midnights because that’s where I started.”
It’s when Robert Irving took over for the elder Galvin that Tom Galvin started thinking about moving on to become a police chief. Irving was big on training and sent Galvin to the FBI Training Academy in 2008.
“I was still young compared to a lot of people were there,” said Galvin. “It showed me that I really I belonged, that I could really do this. It was after that, I started really looking to becoming a chief.”
His opportunity came in 2013, when he left the Wayland Police Department as a sergeant and became chief in Berlin. Galvin said it was the perfect opportunity because it was close to where he lives — Hudson — and it was a small department, which he was comfortable with.
“I’d still be able to be a police officer,” he said. “I’d be able to be on the street occasionally, which I enjoyed, and I still enjoy.”
This is part of a new weekly series profiling various public safety personnel from throughout MetroWest and the Milford area. If there is someone you feel should be profiled, email Norman Miller at nmiller@wickedlocal.com.
Galvin said there were two reasons he was interested in the Sherborn job when it was advertised. The first was financial — Berlin is among just a few communities that does not offer health insurance for its retirees, something he viewed as important for himand his family.
The second is thathe believes there’s a shelf life for chiefs.
“You kind of hit that seven- to 10-year mark, and you’re not as effective as you once were,” he said. “Is that good for the agency and is that good for you? And I was in that range. The opportunity for Sherborn came up and I really thought it was the type of community I’d like to work in.”
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Galvin took over a position that was involved in a cloud of controversy. The town fired former Chief Richard Thompson, whohas since filed a lawsuit about his dismissal.
“In some ways, it created some concern, but I felt my leadership style and my personality fit well in that kind of atmosphere,” Galvin said. “I think we can move forward.”
Galvin said his eventual goal is to increase the number of officers and explore a regional dispatch center. He said that would put more officers on the street while increasing officer morale by limiting forced overtime. At the same time, if they had more officers, he could send officers to more training, allowing for them to better themselves.
But until then, Galvin said his first goal is to just get to know people in the community.
“Being in a small town allows you to meet a lot of people, and there are still a lot of people I want to meet,” said Gavlin. “I really like that kind of thing.”
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Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at Facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
