Saying farewell to Yarmouth police chief: Frank Frederickson retires after 45 years
WEST YARMOUTH — Resident Dawn Marie says she is going to miss having Frank Frederickson as chief of police.
“We’re really lucky that we had him in the time frame that we had him,” Marie said.
During his tenure, Frederickson handled the town's tragedies well, and laid a strong foundation for community relations at a time when hard feelings towards the department was at an all-time high, she said.
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Around 40 people attended Frederickson’s retirement ceremony Friday at the Yarmouth Police Department, where they shook his hand, shared laughs over coffee and sweets, and watched a slideshow of pictures documenting his career. The gathering included town and state officials and law enforcement from other Cape Cod departments.
A member of the Yarmouth Neighborhood Crime Watch said Frederickson was a major supporter of the watch.
End of a four-decade career in Yarmouth
Frederickson's last day as chief is Monday, Nov. 1, when Deputy Chief Kevin Lennon is set to be sworn in as his successor. Lennon will start his new role on Tuesday.
Frederickson was feeling a roller coaster of emotions on Friday, as he stood in uniform chatting with residents.
He said he has been coming to the same place for 45 years, so the thought of not doing that anymore gave him anxiety. He described the role of chief as something that gives and takes.
“It’s given me an opportunity to feed my family and have a good life for them, but it’s also taken some of my soul,” he said.
More:A year of mourning and remembering Sgt. Sean Gannon
Rather than use his retirement for some well-earned rest Frederickson will be taking a job with the Fraternal Order of Police as director of governmental affairs.
Frederickson started his career with the Yarmouth Police Department as a summer officer and became a full-time officer in 1979.
He rose through the ranks, attaining the rank of lieutenant in 2000, and deputy chief in 2008. In 2010, after nearly 31 years of service, he was appointed chief.
Chief stressed need for community connection
During the appointment process, Frederickson stressed the importance of being a “visible” police chief, saying that a good chief must know and understand the people in their community. He has regularly hosted “Coffee with the Chief,” where Yarmouth residents met Frederickson at a breakfast spot and asked him questions.
Frederickson has been an outspoken proponent of body cameras for police officers, seeking to protect his officers from “frivolous complaints” from the public. He’s also been an avid user of social media to keep the public informed about crime in the town.
More:Yarmouth police look to move forward with body-worn cameras, pending town meeting vote
Frederickson also helped launch a community relations team to help the police department improve its relationship with diverse communities in the wake of the George Floyd killing and subsequent protests.
More:Cape police chiefs condemn Floyd incident, reflect on policies
Some of the problems Frederickson has worked to combat in his community as chief have been human trafficking and prostitution, the opioid epidemic, local scams, thefts, and violence.
Seeing department through loss of one of their own
In 1988, he arrested a serial rapist who was charged with raping five women in the Mid-Cape area.
He was chief when Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon was shot and killed while serving a warrant in Marstons Mills. Frederickson vowed that Gannon’s death would be a spark for changes to help better protect police.
He was a proponent of increasing funding for police training, and revising the state criminal justice system, especially for sentencing career criminals. He also helped the department raise more than $1 million to build a new training facility in Gannon’s honor.
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