abass@northstarreporter.com
After 30 years and two months, Officer Craig Chapman has retired from the North Attleborough Police Department.
Making his final radio call on the evening of June 26, Chapman stepped down from his regular duties as a full-time police officer. He will serve as a special officer for the department, working on road construction details when available.
Chapman said the decision to retire was difficult but necessary. He said after 30 years of service, it was time for a change.
“Your heart will tell you when,” Chapman said. “It’s like a light switch. All of a sudden, it will switch off. I will miss my fellow officers I worked alongside with for over 30 years, many that I have become best friends with.”
Born and raised in North Attleborough, Chapman said it was his dream since sophomore year in high school to be a police officer and that he would do anything to become one.
In 1987 Chapman joined the Massachusetts National Guard and the North Attleborough Police Department while still on active duty in 1993. During his 28 years of service in the military, Chapman was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Cuba, receiving the rank of sergeant major.
“I took what experiences I had in the Army to help with my police career and as well took my police experiences to help with the military career,” Chapman said. “It was another tool on both sides that I could use to help people within the community of North Attleboro and with serving my country overseas in foreign countries.”
Throughout his time as an officer, Chapman worked as a dispatcher, a Harley Davidson Motorcycle Officer, and an honor guard.
In addition to serving in both the police department and military, Chapman served a three-year term on the Dighton Rehoboth Regional School Committee. Today, he serves as chairman of the North Attleborough Retirement Board, an area vice president for the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, vice president of the New Englanders Helping our Veterans non-profit organization and a member of the Rehoboth Personnel Board.
Chapman said his favorite part of being a police officer was the ability to help people through safety and public engagement. He will continue to help town residents while working as a special officer.
“! I love helping people and I am fortunate enough to be able to continue to do that in my capacity as Vice President at Veterans New Englanders Helping Our Veterans,” Chapman said. “I’ll also continue to serve as a special police officer in the Town I was born and raised in and blessed to work in for over 30 years.”
