Gates police chief stepping down. Here's who will replace him
Gates Police Chief Jim VanBrederode will retire this week, he announced Wednesday morning.
VanBrederode, who became the department's chief in 2013, will work his final shift on Friday. For the past five years, he also served as the president of the Monroe County Chief's Association.
VanBrederode has been a police officer in Monroe County for 37 years. He worked the first three years of his career as a Rochester police officer and the other 34 years with the Gates Police Department.
As chief, VanBrederode was passionate about community policing and said he believes officers must return to the grassroots of policing to be able to fully understand the community’s needs and to meet them. All officers in his 32-member department must be active in the community.
“Visibility is trust,” he said, adding that his role as chief was to advocate for the victims of crimes. “Be a voice for the voiceless. Behind each tragedy, there’s usually a broken system.”
VanBrederode in 2017 helped establish Gates to Recovery, a drop-in center for opioid addicts held weekly at the Gates Town Hall. He has been a vocal advocate working to help connect addicts and their families to resources, and fought for hospital officials to re-evaluate mental health discharge plans from Strong Memorial Hospital to ensure patients receive appropriate follow-up care.
“It was an honor and privilege to serve the Town of Gates for so many years," VanBrederode said. "Every day our goal was to make Gates a safe Community and to be the voice for our victims and residents. Every call was important to us: We went out of our way to reunite a lost dog, rescue a baby duckling that fell into a storm drain, to a baby fawn stuck in someone’s back yard. Those were the calls that brought us joy."
VanBrederode said he isn't sure yet what's next, but he hopes to continue to be "a voice and advocate for the victims of violent crimes, domestic violence and the opiod epidemic."
Rob Long named new Gates NY police chief
Lt. Rob Long, a 17-year-member of the department, was named as the department's next chief, Gates police announced in a news release.
Long, a Chili resident who lived in Gates for three decades, will serve as acting chief until he is officially appointed by the Gates Town Board, which is expected to take place on Feb. 7.
Long, also a former volunteer firefighter, is currently a member of the Gates Chili School District's Board of Education. Long said he plans to continue as a school board member at his alma mater adding that he is halfway though a three-year term.
"The best chiefs are guys who are invested in the community," VanBrederode said. "And he is."
Contact Victoria Freile at vfreile@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @vfreile and Instagram @vfreile. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Robert Long to replace Jim VanBrederode as Gates NY police chief
