The Londonderry Police Department promoted two officers and presented six more with awards for life-saving in a Dec. 10 ceremony.
Paul Fulone was promoted from captain to deputy chief and Patrick Cheetham was promoted from lieutenant to captain.
Fulone replaces Gerard Dusseault, who retired in November after 33 years at the department. Dusseault was the first person to be appointed deputy chief by the department.
In his new role, Fulone will be responsible for oversight of uniform patrols and the investigative unit.
“Paul Fulone was an easy choice,” said Police Chief William Hart in an interview. “His 31 years of service to the department speak volumes about how we got to be the premier law enforcement agency in the state.
He also commended Fulone’s temperament, saying he “knows the community, he knows policing, and he knows how to build trust.”
Cheetham’s new role is as commander of the services division. Londonderry Police has four divisions – administrative, operations, services, and the airport division. The services division includes school traffic safety, building and maintenance, records and the training bureau.
“This was the most difficult promotion I have had to make in my decade as chief,” Hart said. “We had five outstanding candidates.”
He said he believes Cheetham will help “shape the department for the future.”
Six officers also received commendations for life-saving actions at the ceremony – James Freda, Brian Allaire, Jonathan Cruz, Rafael Ribeiro, and Justin Hallock.
Sgt. Garrett Malloy received a commendation for “life-saving with valor” after responding to a single-vehicle crash in September. Malloy dragged the unconscious male driver away from the vehicle while it exploded.
The department also named their Officer of the Year and Civilian of the Year.
The Civilian of the Year award went to executive secretary Suzanne Hebert. Hebert, a 33-year veteran of the department, has won the award twice before.
The Officer of the Year award went to Officer Jason Archambault. A 12-year veteran of the force, this is the first time he has won the award.
The department also gave out commendations for distinguished unit action, meritorious service, military service, military combat service and Purple Heart sacrifices.
“It’s really important to recognize people for their accomplishments, especially in shift work,” said Hart. “Most awards from this ceremony weren’t for apprehending bad guys – they were focused on life-saving.” In those situations, he said, without the assistance of that officer at that moment, the victim would have died.
“The officers all stepped in without hesitation, and with a deep and abiding kindness for the situations they were dealing with. The awards were all well-deserved.”