GILL — After serving a combined 18 years as an officer and sergeant, Police Sgt. Jason Bassett plans to retire from full-time work at the end of August.

Bassett, 52, first began working as a part-time officer for Gill in 2006 and left in 2008 to serve as a full-time sergeant for the Bernardston Police Department. He returned to Gill in 2017 as sergeant. While he is retiring from full-time work, Bassett plans to remain active on a part-time basis, according to a letter to the Selectboard announcing his retirement.

Police Chief Christopher Redmond attended Monday’s Selectboard meeting to discuss Bassett’s retirement, along with next steps to fill the position. The Selectboard approved a motion to begin creating job postings for both a patrol officer and a sergeant, which Town Administrator Ray Purington and Selectboard Clerk Charles Garbiel III will handle.

‘I’ve always felt supported’

Bassett said he has felt supported “both internally and externally” by the Gill Police Department and the town government.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always felt supported within the departments that I worked, as well as the governing body, and in this case, it was the Selectboard members that always stood out to me,” Bassett recounted.

Prior to his career in policing, Bassett served in the National Guard, then worked as a corrections officer at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction. This experience gave him the knowledge to become a part-time police officer with Gill in 2006.

By the time he returned to Gill following his work as a sergeant in Bernardston, Bassett said he “had a much better understanding of what the community needed, and a much better grasp on the law and how to utilize it in the intent to both serve the community and the town.”

Redmond expressed his appreciation to Bassett for his years of service, describing him as a “quintessential small-town cop.”

“He’s a very approachable, down-to-earth person. He doesn’t have any sense of superiority, speaking down to people, and that certainly came into play for people accepting him,” Redmond said.

He added that Bassett has made connections in the community, specifically referencing his assistance to those struggling with addiction, many of whom have since become sober but remain in touch.

“These people are thriving now, and they’ve been able to kick the habit, so to speak, and even to the point where they would befriend each other,” Redmond said.

He said Bassett would follow up with these individuals to offer support when possible, adding, “The people are doing good. They were all in town and they thank him.”

Looking to the future

Redmond added that Bassett will be missed by the department as he transitions into part-time work.

“I like Jason so much that before he even came and worked with me in 2017, I made him the godfather of my child born six years earlier,” Redmond said. “So that speaks volumes of my have respect for him.”

Bassett said he has no plans for what his part-time work with the Gill Police Department will look like, but he’s open to “new opportunities and new ideas” as he enters this phase of his life.

Members of the Selectboard expressed their appreciation for Bassett’s service. Member Randy Crochier said he is grateful for Bassett’s desire to stay involved in the department on a part-time basis.

“It shows what character he has, that he’s going to stick around and continue to help the town,” Crochier said. “It’s difficult these days to find officers, but it’s extremely difficult to find officers that are built like Sgt. Jason Bassett or Chief Redmond.”

Selectboard Chair Greg Snedeker said the police work and community-building done by Bassett does not go unnoticed within the town.

“That’s why they are so appreciated, respected and sort of loved in this town,” he said, referring to both Bassett and Redmond. “I think it would be difficult to find anybody in this town that would speak bad of either one of them, which is not normal in today’s police environment.”

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.