Manchester Native Mark McCoy Becomes Town's New Police Chief

"Being from here is a huge advantage. You know the history and the backgrounds of so many people and situations."”

For nearly every milestone in Mark McCoy's life, Manchester has been the backdrop.

He grew up roaming Manchester like a free bird with his best friends, he played football for the Hornets, he coached generations of local athletes, he joined the town’s first auxiliary police unit at 18, and he has spent more than three decades rising through the ranks of the Manchester Police Department.

On Tuesday, those lifelong connections came full circle as the 54-year-old was sworn in as Manchester's new chief of police before family, friends, fellow officers and town officials gathered on the Town Common.

"Thirty years ago, I walked through the doors of this department as a young police officer eager to learn and serve, and hopeful to make a positive difference in this community," McCoy told the crowd. "I could never have imagined that one day I would have the privilege of standing before you as the Chief of Police."

The ceremony drew local and state officials, officers from neighboring departments, town employees and residents.  State Sen. Bruce Tarr and State Rep. Dru Tarr offered remarks, while Town Administrator Tony Barletta served as emcee.  Police from Essex—including Chief Tom Shamshack—Gloucester and Rowley were also on hand to welcome McCoy into his new role.

In the front row sat the people who helped shape his journey:  his wife, Heather; daughter, Elizabeth; parents Craige "Cracker" and Mary McCoy; and extended family and lifelong friends.  Town Clerk Christine Dixon administered the oath of office.

Moments later, retiring Chief Todd Fitzgerald marked the end of his own remarkable career in a tradition familiar throughout New England policing, making his final radio call from his cruiser following 35 years with the department.

For McCoy, the transition is deeply personal.

Locals know that Todd Fitzgerald isn't simply Mark McCoy’s predecessor.  He has been one of McCoy's closest friends since childhood.

The two grew up just a few streets apart, spending countless hours exploring Manchester alongside their friend David Pepper.  One summer, they memorably transformed one of their family lawns into a makeshift putting green.  Years later, Mark and Todd entered law enforcement together, building careers that would ultimately lead one to succeed the other.

"Mark has been my second in command for quite some time," Fitzgerald said when the Select Board voted to confirm McCoy's appointment in May.  "I believe wholeheartedly he's ready for this step forward."

Both men also grew up in police families.

Fitzgerald's grandfather, Charles H. Bradbury, served as a police officer with the Manchester Police Dept. while McCoy's father, Craige McCoy, spent 18 years on the force before finishing his career with the Manchester Housing Authority.  Watching his father and many of the department's veteran officers left an impression on the young McCoy.

"My father influenced me," McCoy said during a recent interview. "But guys like Alan Gilson, Neil Andrews, Dick Lysiak and David McDougall were also big inspirations. Being a police officer seemed exciting. It seemed like a good career."

Ironically, policing wasn't his first ambition.

"I wanted to be a coach or a gym teacher," McCoy recalled.

And while coaching was attractive, teaching itself didn’t feel like the right fit.  After playing football with the Hornets, he went onto college and studied criminal justice at Salem State College.

Mark’s first opportunity to work in public safety came in the summers of 1991 and 1992 as a beach patrol officer.  A couple of years later, then-Chief Ronald Ramos assembled Manchester's first auxiliary police unit to help staff the town's 350th anniversary celebration.  Fitzgerald was already on the force, and McCoy joined the auxiliary alongside future Essex Police Chief Paul Francis and several other young officers. 

The rest, as they say, is history.  

During Tuesday's ceremony, McCoy reflected on the four chiefs under whom he served—Ronald Ramos, Glenn McKiel, Ed Conley and Todd Fitzgerald—crediting each with preparing him for the job he now assumes.  Ramos, he said, first gave him the opportunity to wear the badge.  McKiel challenged him by assigning him as lead detective, placing him on the Cape Ann SWAT Team and promoting him to sergeant.  And Conley demonstrated "what it means to lead with integrity and compassion," while Fitzgerald fostered "a culture of professionalism, accountability and leadership."

"I am grateful to each of them for the confidence they placed in me, for the lessons they taught me, and for the examples they set," McCoy said.  "Their leadership has shaped not only this department but also the police officer and leader I have become."

Today, McCoy has spent virtually his entire adult life serving Manchester.

"I'm comfortable here," he said.  "It's part of me."

Few officers embody the idea of community policing more completely.

Outside the department, McCoy has coached Manchester football since 1991, beginning with the Junior Hornets before helping coach the high school varsity program under Mike Athanas to a Massachusetts Super Bowl championship.  He is a lifelong member of the Manchester Club, belongs to the Manchester Masonic Lodge, serves on the board of Boy Scout Troop 3, and has remained deeply involved in community life.

That lifelong familiarity, he believes, has become one of his greatest strengths as a police officer.

"Being from here is a huge advantage. You know the history and the backgrounds of so many people and situations. In this climate, seeing a familiar face—someone you can trust—can diffuse some pretty tough situations."

"With community policing, your presence is a real priority both on and off duty."

Those same themes resurfaced in his remarks Tuesday.

Addressing residents directly, McCoy pledged that the department would remain "visible, approachable, and committed to working in partnership with you."

"Together," he said, "we will keep making this community one of the safest and strongest in the Commonwealth."

The department itself is entering a period of transition.  Fitzgerald has retired, McCoy has assumed the department’s top job, and several younger officers have joined the force.  It all signals a new beginning, and McCoy said one of his principal goals is developing the department's future leaders while ensuring officers have the tools they need to succeed.

"I will work to ensure you have the best training, resources, and support necessary to succeed," he told members of the department.

Years ago, former Town Administrator Greg Federspiel first asked McCoy whether he aspired to become chief.

"I wasn't sure," McCoy recalled. "I wanted to focus on being a good lieutenant. I really needed to grow into the role of chief."

Now, after three decades in uniform and a lifetime rooted in the town he serves, McCoy says the responsibility has finally sunk in.

"I'm very excited," he said. "It's humbling. It's overwhelming. But it's also very satisfying."