Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould announces plan to retire

Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould has announced that he will be retiring from the police force once his contract expires in April.

In October of 2022, the police department lost two of their own. Lt. Dustin Demonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy were killed in an ambush-style shooting while responding to a 911 call on Oct. 12, 2022. A third responding police officer, Alec Iurato, who was also struck by gunfire, returned to the job in September.

In the wake of tragedy, Gould made it his mission to provide resources and welcome new officers to the department. The community has shown its support in many ways in the days following that tragic day.

"It's a sad day for the city of Bristol. The chief has been an amazing community presence here for nearly 30 years now and as police chief, he has brought us through good times and tough times," Mayor Jeff Caggiano said. "He's done it with such great dignity, honor and humility."

NBC Connecticut

Gould has worked in the police force for nearly three decades. He also served as the grand marshal for the Bristol Mum Festival last year.

“Truly emotional. I have a tremendous amount of love for this city. Tremendous amount of love for what I do, for the people I serve, with those I serve. And so it's bittersweet," Gould told NBC Connecticut.

The families of two beloved officers continue to grapple with tremendous loss, but Gould has made sure that they are supported and loved.

"For me, losing Dustin and Alex, it brought me closer to them [the families] personally," Chief Gould said in an interview last year. "The loss of them has brought them into my life. And they've made me a better person. So I love them all very much."

Caggiano said there could not have been a better person in place to get the department, and city, through that tragedy.

He is irreplaceable in many ways. Chief Gould has made his mark on this city.

Mayor Jeff Caggiano

"The chief has just a great way of, he's always connected with the community. He brought this community together. He made this about the loss of the officers’ families and, you know, just did everything right throughout that tragedy," Caggiano said.

Under Gould's leadership and with a new contract, officers got a 14% raise - which Caggiano said is higher than any other police department in the state.

The mayor said the police department will be at 122 sworn officers - a full police force - after they swear in three new officers on Friday.

"Mixed emotions for sure. But I can tell you it's been a wonderful ride. And, you know, there's no looking back. It's been great," Gould said.

Gould has a message for the city he's served all these years.

“My parting message is, listen, you are all heart, Bristol strong. We are one. And there's so much caring and love in this community. And I feel it every day," he said.

The police chief will officially retire on April 6. As for what comes next, Gould said there are some exciting opportunities ahead, and he's looking forward to sharing what that entails at a later date.