By: Caitlin V. Reidy, Reporter
To put one’s life on the line for others is the true mark of moral strength. It is also the legacy that
Gary Chamberland is leaving as he retires as Chief of Police in Sterling, Massachusetts.
Gary Chamberland has been a police officer for 41 years. He served 23 of those years in
Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and later went to the FBI National Academy for 11 weeks of training
to learn the fundamentals of being a leader, more specifically a police chief, in law enforcement.
The FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia is an incredibly rigorous program, and is responsible for
training police officers throughout the United States and in the world. His instruction at the
Academy is what eventually led to his position as Chief of Police in Sterling.
“I became a police officer in 1981. In all of those years, many things have changed,” Chief
Chamberland stated. “The way we communicate-the way we use technology on the force has
changed in terms of radios and cameras. However, the face to face interaction with the public has
always remained the same.”
Chief Chamberland has been through many trials as a public servant in Sterling. He stated that
some of the most challenging times he can recount included the 2008 ice storm, the Covid-19
pandemic, and the opioid epidemic that continues to sweep the nation.
“Covid-19 was particularly challenging. Trying to manage staff, while trying to keep our people
safe, but still responding to calls and maintaining services, was something that was
unprecedented and difficult,” Chief Chamberland stated.
In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief Chamberland expressed that the War on Drugs has
been particularly onerous. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the “first wave”
of the opioid epidemic started becoming prevalent in the 1990s with prescription drugs, such as
oxytocin. In addition, the CDC stated that when the “second wave” hit in 2010, illegal drugs,
such as heroin, became widespread. Heroin and other street drugs became such a serious threat
that in 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid epidemic a
“public health emergency.”
Sterling was not immune to this nationwide epidemic. Chief Chamberland said that it lead to
everyone [on the police force] carrying NARCAN, and that they needed to “develop special
training on how to handle overdoses.”
“We all saw the damage these drugs did to families,” Chief Chamberland stated. Sterling Police
recently responded to an incident where a rookie officer, Benjamin Dame, administered
NARCAN to an individual who was unresponsive from the result of a drug overdose. Officer
Dame saved the individual’s life by resorting to his training, however, Chief Chamberland
conveyed that drug overdoses are unfortunately becoming more normalized in society and have
been a difficult part of the job, both physically and emotionally.
Apart from some of the more challenging aspects of the job, Chief Chamberland recounted his
early days in Sterling. Before he moved to town, he described himself as a “city cop.” He
remembers walking many sidewalks and barely seeing any trees before he relocated to Sterling.
This is what made some of his first encounters as a Sterling officer so interesting.
“We moved out here and rented a farm house that shared the property with another farmer,
actually former Select Board member, Bob Cutler. One day at the office, my wife calls me and
says she is in the driveway and can’t get out of the car because she is surrounded by cows. I
drove home and saw about 10 – 15 cows in the yard. Every time I opened the door of the car, the
cows would block the doors. Bob Cutler came over and rounded up the loose cows. I told my
wife that I don’t think we’re in Woonsocket anymore,” Chief Chamberland stated.
According to Chief Chamberland, this was not his only run-in with Sterling cow gangs. Besides
this first incident of cows involved in disorderly conduct, the Chief has spent the past 18 years
rounding up more bad-to-the-bone bovines that took pleasure in disturbing the peace and
disrupting traffic in Sterling. Chief Chamberland stated that he personally had to “round up”
fugitive cows who seemed to enjoy escaping farms and evading officers with their other
livestock peers.
Now that Chief Chamberland is retired, he is currently traveling the country with his wife, Debra
(Deb) Chamberland. Mrs. Chamberland stated that now her husband is retired, “they’re finally
taking the time to see the country.” They are currently on the road and are visiting National Parks
and places such as The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and the Badlands.
“We have a general idea where we’re going, but we’re taking our time and going at our leisure,”
Mrs. Chamberland stated. “We’ve been married for 42 years in June. Now that [Gary] is retired,
we have the time to travel, and I don’t need to worry about receiving a phone call that my
husband isn’t coming home because of something that happened on the job.”
Mrs. Chamberland said that though she is happy to be able to travel and spend more time with
her husband, her daughter and son-in-law are police officers in Woonsocket, and though “proud
of their service,” she still worries for their safety.
Detective David (DJ) Johnson of the Sterling Police Department also commented on the Chief’s
recent retirement. A recent cancer survivor and a well-respected law enforcement officer,
Detective Johnson has worked closely with Chief Chamberland over the past several years.
“We will miss the Chief very much. He was a working chief and had the respect of all of the
officers. We are also thrilled that he can now devote time to his family, who sacrificed and
worried all of the years that he was on the job,” Detective Johnson stated.
“I’m going to miss the interaction with all the officers, the dispatchers and administrative staff.
We are a small department and like a small family. I’m sure we will still remain in contact with
each other, but it won’t be the same. It’s difficult to leave a profession you’ve spent 41 years in,
and just walk away,” Chief Chamberland stated.
Debra (Deb) MacArthur, Sterling’s Dispatch Supervisor, has worked with Chief Chamberland
for his entire tenure in Sterling. She emphasized the fairness that she saw the Chief convey, and
described him as a “zinger” with a “great sense of humor.”
“Chief Chamberland was a true gentleman who came from another state and quickly picked up
the laws of Massachusetts. He relied on his staff, he trusted us, and we trust(ed) him. Chief
Chamberland was a fantastic leader and he will be missed,” Miss MacArthur conveyed.
Chief Chamberland said that he “could fill a book” on his most memorable moments in Sterling,
but emphasized that “he will greatly miss serving the people of Sterling, his officers, and
everyday civilians.”
“We’re human. We have compassion. Sometimes it may not seem like it when we need to do the
hard thing, but I hope that I have lived up to this calling,” Chief Chamberland stated.
And so he has lived up to this calling. Well-respected by his staff, highly regarded by the people
of Sterling, and valued for his candor, openness, and sense of humor, Chief Chamberland is
applauded and appreciated for his years of service in law enforcement, even by the pesky cows.
Bon Voyage, Chief!