History of the Duxbury Police Department
After a very productive ten years at the helm, Chief Cappucci retired in 1996. Charles Mazzone was then selected as the department’s 7th permanent chief. Chief Mazzone came to Duxbury after retiring from the Maryland State Police, where he was a Lieutenant Colonel. Chief Mazzone retired from the position in Duxbury in 1999 and the selectmen named Mark Deluca as Duxbury’s 8th permanent Chief. Chief Deluca came to Duxbury from the Boston Police Department where he served as sergeant. Chief Deluca also served as a police officer in Southern Florida. Chief Deluca held the office of Chief from 1999 to 2010. Chief Deluca continued the department’s commitment to the community policing philosophy by creating a local Police Athletic League (PAL). As a former golden gloves boxer, Chief Deluca made boxing a major component of the Duxbury Police PAL Program. It was also under the command of Chief Deluca that the Department began to develop regional resource and manpower sharing relationships that led to the department joining the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council.
Chief Mark Deluca
Officer Melvin E. Dyer
In 2008 the Department experienced tragedy when on the evening of August 16th Special Officer Mel Dyer was struck by a motor vehicle while he was directing traffic outside the gates of the Marshfield Fair. Mel suffered serious injuries and passed away nine days later in a Boston Hospital. Officer Dyer was the first Duxbury officer killed in the line of duty. A twenty year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Mel was survived by his wife, five adult children and two grandchildren. Rest in Peace Officer Dyer.
Chief Deluca stepped down in the fall of 2010 after serving ten years in command of the department. Town Manager Richard MacDonald called upon retired Waltham Massachusetts Police Chief Stephen Doherty to serve as interim chief while the town searched for a new permanent Chief. In May of 2010, Matthew M. Clancy was appointed as the department’s 9th permanent police chief. Chief Clancy was previously Chief of Police in Plympton Massachusetts and also served many years as a police officer on Cape Cod.
Chief Clancy refreshed some department programs and units that had been dormant for a period of time, such as the Mountain Bike Unit and Traffic Safety Unit. In addition, he created the Identification Unit in which three officers received specialized training in crime scene photography and processing. He also expanded the Crash Investigation Unit by adding a second crash reconstructionist to the unit. At the March 2011 Town Meeting, Chief Clancy and the Public Safety Building Committee successfully gained voter approval to bring to the polls a plan to replace the West Street Police Station with a new, state of the art facility. A few weeks later voters at the town election overwhelmingly approved $6.23 Million dollars to construct the new Duxbury Police Headquarters on town owned land off Mayflower Street.
Town Manager Richard MacDonald & DPD Command Break Ground on New Station
Deputy Chief Stephen R. McDonald
On March 16, 2012, ground was broken on Mayflower Street for the construction of the new Duxbury Police Headquarters building, kicking off a very busy 18 month period of transition for the department.
Voters at the March 2012 Town Meeting approved a command reorganization plan for the department in which one of three Lieutenant positions was to be eliminated and the new rank of Deputy Police Chief would to be created in its place. The plan moved forward after the retirement of Lt. Sue James, who served 32 years with the department. The reorganization was completed in January of 2013, when Stephen R. McDonald was sworn in as Deputy Police Chief.