THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, June 26, 2020 ~ THE ADVOCATE ASKS ~ Page 3 I think he kind of showed me the path on how to move forward with that and move up the ranks in the right way. Q: So, did Chief DiMella give you any advice? A: I reached out to him when the manager told me he was going to give me this opportunity. He was happy for me. I don’t know if he gave me any specific advice; however, he did tell me if I had any questions about anything, don’t hesitate to call him. Q: Anything else that conTOP COP OF HIS TOWN: Newly-appointed Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli stands in the second fl oor hallway of the Saugus Police Department. The lifelong Saugus resident is a 25-year veteran of the local police force. (Saugus Advocate photos by Mark E. Vogler New Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli discusses his evolution as Saugus’s top law enforcement officer and his plans for the Police Dept. Editor’s Note: For this w eek’s column, we interviewed Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli, who was appointed to that key town position this week. We asked about his career goals – how he got into law enforcement and what directed him to set out to become the chief of his hometown police department several years ago. Ricciardelli, 47, is a lifelong resident of Saugus. He has been a member of the Police Department for 25 years – the last eight as lieutenant. He is a 1990 graduate of Saugus High School. In 1999 he received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Salem State College, completing a college career that was interrupted in 1995 during his senior year when he decided to take “a leave of absence” to attend the Police Academy and begin his career with the Saugus Police Department. He was 22 years old at the time. Ricciardelli is the fi rst person in his family to make a career in law enforcement. He received a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Western New England College. Seven years ago, he got married to the former Stephanie Smith of Rowley. He grew up in the house where his parents still reside. Highlights of this week’s interview follow. Q: What would you say had the biggest infl uence – person or circumstances – of you getting involved in law enforcement? A: I don’t know if it was a particular person or not. It just seemed like a really interesting fi eld to me. Here I am sitting behind a desk … but going into the fi eld; it’s not the type of job where you think it’s going to be the same every day or sitting behind a desk. Q: And at what point did you decide, “This is what I want to do”? A: When I got to college, I think. It just seemed like a very interesting major. I grew up across the street from Tim Fawcett. He’s a really friendly guy. I saw him growing up, working hard, and he seemed to love what he did. And that probably had a big infl uence on me. Tim’s dad was a Boston police offi cer, so I think the two of them had a big infl uence on me. Tim is a big, friendly guy. And he always used to say, “Treat people with respect and it will always come back to you in a good way.” He was here yesterday [for the swearing-in], and that was good, because he did play a big part in it – not only the reason why I got into the fi eld – but after I got in the fi eld, he kind of took me under his wing, so Tim had a big infl uence, especially on the fi rst part of my career. On the second part of my career, it was [retired Saugus Police] Chief [Domenic] DiMella, who left a few years ago, so it’s kind of a split. Q: At what point did you say to yourself, “I want to be a chief? This is what I want to be some day”? And if there was somebody who influenced that. A: I became a lieutenant eight years ago. Even at that point, I really wasn’t looking that far ahead. Maybe it was three or four years ago, I started thinking that maybe when Chief DiMella is done, this would be something that I would be interested in. He’s going to leave some day, and maybe I could do well in that position, so he [Chief DiMella] was a good role model for me. When I first started here, he had been on for a few years. When I fi rst started as a patrolman, he made sergeant shortly after that, then worked his way up to lieutenant and chief, so tributed to your development as a police offi cer? A: I think it’s important to note that before I came to work here and while I was going to school at Salem State, I worked for the Essex County Sheriff ’s Department up in Middleton. And I always like to tell anyone who asks that even though I hold a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, I think that the three years I spent there, I learned just an unbelievable amount about people on both sides of the bars – people you work with and also the inmates inside the jail – so it was really a good foundation to work here, coming from there. Q: You worked under Sheriff Frank Cousins? Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 A: I started under Charlie Reardon and then I finished under Frank Cousins. It was a very interesting place. I started there when I was 19 years old. It was interesting, but I’m glad I did it. I had relationships with ASKS | SEE PAGE 10
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