Jon Hall ’04 Appointed Chief of Northfield Police Department

Chief Jon Hall ’04 was recently sworn in as Chief of Northfield Police Department. In his last role, he served as lieutenant at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Police Department.

Until Chief Hall was appointed, Sgt. Alexander Pirozhkov ’13 served as acting chief of Northfield following the retirement of former Chief Robert Leighton on July 8.

Hall decided to pursue policing because of his desire to help others in addition to positive interactions he has had with local police officers. His first job as a full-time police officer was in Brattleboro, Vermont, in 2004. He started working at UMass in 2007, moving up through the ranks from patrol officer and eventually to lieutenant.

He looks forward to serving the small, but growing, town of Northfield.

“It’s been great,” Hall said of his time with the Northfield Police Department this month. “The police officers here are all incredible, very professional. They’re serving this town well.”

To illustrate the work of the department, Hall cited a few recent calls for service. Officer Jakob Davidson assisted in locating a juvenile runaway, Resource Officer Bill Kimball located a missing teenager from Alabama and reunited them with their parents, and Officer Oleg Cobileanschi arrested a fugitive facing domestic assault and stalking charges.

Hall has expressed interest in implementing new programs in Northfield, like a summertime youth adventure academy or citizens’ police academy. He would also like to establish more community policing efforts to ensure the officers interact with the community and are approachable.

Hall earned his associate’s degree in criminal justice from Greenfield Community College and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Westfield State.