The City of Bristol has a new top cop. The city council unanimously voted Tuesday night to appoint Bristol Deputy Police Chief Mark Morello to the position. He was serving as the interim police chief since April after the previous chief retired.
A unanimous vote from the Bristol City Council seals the deal for making Morello the city’s permanent police chief. The move comes after 24 years of service with the Bristol Police Department.
“This is really a culmination of that experience with the agency and it’s really exciting for me and the department and my family as well,” he said.
Morello has been serving as interim police chief since April when the previous chief Brian Gould retired.
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Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano said Morello went through a required testing period during an internal search for a new chief. He said Morello was the only candidate who went through the process and praised his experience and work.
“I am very pleased that we have Chief Morello in front of us,” Caggiano said.
Morello considers former Chief Gould as a friend and mentor and wants to continue what he did towards community policing.
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“It’s something that we hear about quite often, but it takes time and investment on all ends, from the political level, the police level and the boots on the ground,” he said.
He said two officers who hold that standard are fallen Bristol officers, Lt. Dustin Demonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy.
“Like Alex and Dustin, who were such great and phenomenal police officers and were involved in the community, I want to reignite that passion throughout the department,” he said.
Morello says his philosophy is to improve every single day and he recognizes the work that’s ahead.
“There’s a lot of responsibility and it’s important to be the best leader for the men and women who work for the police department and for the City of Bristol,” he said.
