Wishart succeeds Louis Barry, now on the Selectboard, who taught Wishart in criminal justice courses at Holyoke Community College.
View full sizeNew Granby Police Chief is introduced by Kathy Kelly-Regan, Granby Town Clerk, left, at the Granby Senior Center after his swearing-in. Wishart's wife, Brenda, is at center.GRANBY – Alan P. Wishart was sworn in as Police Chief in Granby on Thursday, after serving nine months as Interim Police Chief. He succeeded Louis Barry, who now serves on the Selectboard.
The ceremony at the Senior Center looked like everyone’s ideal of a New England town, with children, parents, grandparents and town staff gathering to wish their new chief well.
Wishart, 38, was born in Holyoke and raised in Chicopee. He is married to Brenda and father of Brandon. He has been with the Granby Police Department for 15 years.
He said he grew up with a strong work ethic instilled by his family. “The biggest thing was working hard,” said Wishart, “doing your best at whatever you were doing.” His sister is in the insurance business.
He graduated from Chicopee High School and Westfield State University, where he earned his master’s degree in criminal justice.
Wishart always knew he wanted to be a police officer, though there was no tradition of it in his family. He just knew he wanted to help people and make them feel safe, he said.
Granby Police Chief Alan Wishart with his wife Brenda and son Brandon at his swearing-in ceremony at the Granby Senior Center.He was a landscaper and a security officer before he joined the Granby Police Department. There he has been a dispatcher, part-time police officer, sergeant, DARE teacher, school resource officer, detective, full-time patrolman and court officer.
He attended the Agawam Police Academy full-time in 1998, but he said the person who has probably had the greatest impact on him is former chief Barry.
Barry teaches criminal justice at Holyoke Community College, and Wishart wound up taking courses from him.
“He has a great way of explaining things,” said Wishart. “Whether it’s in the classroom or the police department, he’s a good person to work for.”
The volume of calls has gone up since he joined the force, says Wishart, but the cases are similar. “We do every kind of crime – domestic, thefts, breaking and entering,” he said.
What has changed most in his field, he said, is technology. “It’s mind-blowing when I think how different it was when I got started,” he said.
Unfortunately, criminals also have access to technology. “There are so many ways to steal using the Internet!” said Wishart.
On the other hand, when an alleged suspect broke into a Granby home last week and ran, his arrest by the Granby police was the result a classic method – fingerprinting.