Christopher Donelan '87 has retired as Franklin County Sheriff at the end of January

Westfield State Alum Christopher Donelan '87 has been working as the Franklin County Sheriff for quite a while, and he will be celebrating his retirement at the end of this January. Donelan is ending a 14-year stint with Franklin County and has watched quite a change in the system as jails have begun to alter from faculty-focused interventions to trauma-informed treatment models, a system more and more jails are implementing. Donelan also focused his time on strengthening the bond between the sheriff's office and local law enforcement, which was evident before; now, he has the local law and the sheriff's office working together in a collaboration that has benefitted both parties. Donelan has done a lot of reform in the jail system, helping bring in millions of dollars as grants for the jail. Even being called a leader in the opioid task force, focusing on ways to treat people differently in the jail system.   

Donelan, who graduated from Westfield State in '87, graduated with a criminal justice degree and began his years of service as a police officer in Orange until 1991. He then worked in South Hadley as a police officer until 1995, and soon after 1995, he began his career pioneering system reform! In 2002, he ran for state legislature and helped implement many policies. After serving as a member of the state representative, the impact did not stop there. Donelan is even credited with making dramatic changes in the sheriff's office in 2016 with the help of Medical Director Dr. Ruth Potee. This helped the House of Corrections on Elm Street become the first correctional facility in Massachusetts to introduce medically assisted addiction treatment with Suboxone. In 2018, the Franklin County correctional facility became licensed as a methadone clinic. A vital wave of reform led all county facilities in the state to provide medically assisted treatments, one which correctional facilities nationwide are also following! A retirement well deserved! Governor Healey appointed Lori Streeter '85, another WSU alum, who will serve as interim Sheriff of Franklin County until the 2026 election.  

We wish you a wonderful retirement, Christopher Donelan, and thank you for your service and an amazing career.     

If you want to read more about Christopher, click the link here!