Delehanty appointed Chief of Winthrop Police Department

Town Manager James McKenna announced at the Town Council meeting Tuesday night that Terence Delehanty has been appointed chief of the Winthrop Police Department.

Delehanty was present inside the Joseph Harvey Room when McKenna made the announcement.

“I’m pleased that he is in attendance this evening and happy that he accepted the appointment,” McKenna told the nine-member council. “I’m really thrilled to have him as chief and it was a necessary appointment for the department and for the town.”

McKenna praised Delehanty for his outstanding work in his position as the lieutenant/executive officer in charge of the Winthrop Police Department. He also cited his exemplary service as a police officer and his exceptional leadership abilities.

“Working here for the past two months as town manager, I have been able to observe Terry’s work and feel very strongly that he will be a very good chief for this community,” said McKenna. “His follow-through is impeccable. His leadership of that department has been roundly supported by the members of the department with whom I spoke. I’m just very grateful to have that kind of caliber and quality of individual to take over that very important leadership position for the community.”

Delehanty, 40, began his career in the Winthrop Police Department in 1995. He is a graduate of Winthrop High School, Class of 1987. He received an associate’s degree in criminal justice from North Shore Community College. He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from University of Massachusetts/Boston. He also holds a law degree from Massachusetts School of Law. He is currently enrolled in a graduate program in Public Administration at Suffolk University.

Delehanty has been serving as lieutenant/executive officer/acting chief since February, 2009, having succeeded former Police Chief David Goldstein as the leader of the department.

Following the council meeting, Delehanty said in an interview that he was humbled and honored to be the new chief of the Winthrop Police Department.

“I’m very excited and I’m appreciative of the town manager and the council’s confidence in my abilities,” Delehanty said. “I thank them for giving me this vote of confidence. This certainly stabilizes the future of the police department. They now have a leader that is here and is committed to them as officers as well as the public.”

Delehanty also thanked his wife, Marcy, and his two daughters, Jennifer and Sarah. “They’ve given up enormous amounts of time and altered their schedules so I can fulfill the obligations and the demands of my position,” said Delehanty. “My extended family has also pitched in and helped me out with my meeting schedules, and I’m certainly appreciative of that.”

Delehanty is looking forward to continuing the diligent and dedicated efforts of the 30-member police department in the community.

“I stand committed with the members of the Winthrop Police Department to build stronger communities in the town,” he said. “Community participation in the police department is necessary in this town. We cannot solve the issues of the town alone, especially with the budget cuts that we have experienced. We hope to start to rebuild the police department and the officers of the department and add to our ranks. We know we need to identify funding sources for that.”

Delehanty is part of an historic family tradition in the field of law enforcement. His brothers, Michael and Sean, are Winthrop police officers. A brother, Kevin, is a detective in the Natick Police Department. Their father, Ray, who died in 1991, was an Environmental Police officer.

“All of us would make my father very proud,” said Delehanty.

Town Council President Thomas Reilly also lauded Delehanty’s appointment as chief of the department.

“I think it’s a great choice to lead the department,” said Reilly. “There are some serious challenges there. With limited revenues, we’re not able to give them all the resources they need all the time. Terry Delehanty, in his tenure as the assistant chief and acting chief, has shown a great amount of leadership, initiative, and responsiveness to the citizens of the community, and I think he’ll be extremely successful and productive in the position of chief.”