Recently promoted sergeant Timothy Suokko has been promoted to police chief.
Suokko, who has worked with the department for over four years, will take the reins from Steve Sullivan on Aug. 1.
Sullivan told the Select Board on April 18 that he would retire from the force effective Aug. 1. Sullivan had been employed with the department since March 10, 2014.
“I’ve been a cop for 22 years now, and I think it’s time to do something else,” said Sullivan, in an interview after his announcement. “I’m like a little kid again, I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.”
“He is well-regarded in the community and was recommended by the past two chiefs,” said Selectman Paul Delphis. “We knew we had talent here.”
It had been widely speculated that Suokko would be the next chief, as the town recently announced it was looking for a new full-time police officer. With the budget for this year already set, the only way to hire a new full-time officer would be if an officer was leaving or promoted to chief.
Suokko has been a member of the Dublin Police Department since February 2012, beginning as a patrolman. He was promoted to Master Patrolman on January 2013 and to sergeant this past April. Suokko also serves as the department’s firearms/use of force instructor, taser instructor, evidence officer, and field training officer, according to his LinkedIn page.
He is also a founding member of the Monadnock Regional Special Response Team.
Prior to Dublin, Suokko was a patrolman for the town of New Ipswich, as well asPrinceton, Massachusetts and at Fitchburg State College.
He received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Fitchburg State College in 2005 and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Mount Wachusett Community College in 2003.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.