Framingham State University's new police chief wants to build relationships, trust

Norman Miller, The MetroWest Daily News
·2 min read

FRAMINGHAM — Framingham State University has a new police chief.

Jospeh Cecchi, 37, was sworn in during a ceremony on Aug. 28, taking over as head of campus public safety after attaining the rank of captain at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester.

Cecchi grew up in Leicester and now lives in Oxford. Before coming to Framingham State, he was a member of the Quinsigamond Community College Police Department for 15 years.

He said he started as a parking enforcement officer and rose through the ranks to captain.

He also worked to start a nighttime and weekend police academy that was authorized by the Massachusetts Police Training Committee.

Leicester native Joseph Cecchi, shown in the McCarthy Campus Center, was recently named police chief at Framingham State University.
Leicester native Joseph Cecchi, shown in the McCarthy Campus Center, was recently named police chief at Framingham State University.

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"It gave students who were interested in training to be an officer an opportunity to do it without interfering with classes," said Cecchi. "It was really a great opportunity for a lot of people."

Besides working at Quinsigamond, Cecchi has been a part-time officer in Princeton for 14 years and previously worked for the Brimfield Police Department.

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"At Quinsigamond, it was all commuters," Cecchi said. "The campus pretty much shut down around 10 p.m., 11 p.m. Here, you have dorms, I think it's only 40% commuters, so you have students here all of the time.

Joseph Cecchi worked 15 years at Quinsigamond Community College, rising to the rank of captain, before being named chief at Framingham State University.
Joseph Cecchi worked 15 years at Quinsigamond Community College, rising to the rank of captain, before being named chief at Framingham State University.

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"It's a beautiful campus, beautiful students and I've really enjoyed meeting the students," Cecchi said. "We recently got a comfort dog — Ramsey — and he's a hit with the students."

What are his goals as FSU chief?

"I want to build trust, legitimacy and a relationship with the community," Cecchi said. "The police are the community, and the community are the police. I want to start collaborations with different organizations and to build relationships. Once you accomplish building trust you can ensure safety."

Along with building relationships with different student organizations, Cecchi said he wants to build relationships with other local police departments, such as Framingham and Ashland.

"They were members of the committee to interview the chief's candidates and we're ready to start formulating partnerships."

Will Officer Santa Claus come to FSU?

"When I was at Quinsigamond, each year I would put on the big white beard, the blue suit with the patches and badge and play Santa Claus," said Cecchi. "We'd hold a 'Stuff the Cruiser" event to help those in need. There were a lot of students who had needs and families and we tried to help. We'll definitely being doing that here."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: New Framingham State police chief was captain at Quinsigamond