Danvers names Lovell new police chief
Jun. 9—DANVERS — The town is about to get a new police chief, and his name is unlikely to surprise anyone.
Town Manager Steve Bartha announced late Tuesday in a news release the appointment of Capt. James "Jamie" Lovell as the new police chief, effective Monday, June 14.
Rising to take Lovell's position as captain will be Lt. Ashley Sanborn, effective July 5.
"I have enjoyed watching Jamie and Ashley's career development over the past six-and-a-half years and believe that they, along with Capt. Phil Tansey, will strive to make an already great department even stronger," said Town Manager Steve Bartha.
He said he was "particularly impressed by their commitment to community engagement and relationship building" and looked "forward to working with them in their new roles."
The appointments were made after the town held an assessment center in April, in compliance with state civil service hiring procedures, to determine the hiring lists for chief and captain. The town manager conducted follow-up interviews in May.
Lovell holds a master's degree in criminal justice from Salem State University, has completed the PERF Senior Management Institute for Police and graduated from the MMA/Suffolk Leadership & Management Certificate program.
He joined the department in 1998, was promoted to sergeant in 2007, lieutenant in 2013, and to captain in September, 2015. He also served as acting chief last fall when Chief Patrick Ambrose was injured in a motorcycle accident.
Lt. Sanborn holds a master's in criminal justice and a graduate certificate in leadership and policy development from UMass/Lowell and graduated from the MMA/Suffolk Leadership & Management Certificate program.
She joined the department in 2007, was promoted to sergeant in 2015, to lieutenant in September 2017 and is the department's Accreditation Manager/Officer in Charge of the Day Shift. She has previously served as a liaison to the Human Rights and Inclusion Committee.
