Vermont town hires veteran officer as new police chief

BRADFORD, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont town has hired a veteran local police officer and retired Vermont State Police trooper to be its next police chief.

The Valley News reports that the Bradford selectboard offered the job of chief to Sgt. Russell Robinson, who will start on Jan. 3.

Robinson is retired from the Vermont State Police and once ran the Bradford state police barracks.

Bradford is a town with an estimated population of just under 3,000 along the Connecticut River.

Robinson will succeed Chief Jeffrey Stiegler, who was elected this month to the post of sheriff in Grafton County, New Hampshire.

Stiegler, who calls Robinson “a tremendous asset to the police profession,” is promising to work with Robinson to ensure a seamless transition.