Jaffrey Police Chief Todd Muilenberg has announced his retirement, with Lt. Chris LeBreque stepping into the role.
According to Jaffrey Town Manager Jon Frederick, Muilenberg put in his notice a couple of weeks ago with the Select Board, with a final day of Feb. 16.
Muilenberg was hired as a lieutenant in 2018 under former Police Chief Bill Oswalt. Muilenberg previously held the position of police chief in Rindge and was promoted to chief in Jaffrey in 2020.
The Select Board has made an internal promotion of LeBreque, which Frederick said was part of the department’s succession planning.
Frederick said Muilenberg will be moving on to a new opportunity, and while there was not a long official notice period before his retirement, the town was aware he was moving toward that and had been preparing LeBreque for the role of chief.
“The thing of having a lieutenant the quality of Chris LeBreque, we knew that we could rely on him,” Frederick said.
“I’m very happy to step into the role,” said LeBreque. “I’m honored to have the support from Chief Muilenberg, the town of Jaffrey and Jon Frederick, and the confidence they’ve shown in my abilities. I’ve enjoyed my time in Jaffrey. It’s been a great town to work for, supportive of me and the department, and I look forward to spending the rest of my career here.”
LeBreque has been a member of the Jaffrey department since 2013, and has served as lieutenant since 2020.
He was to be officially sworn in as chief in a ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 11.