Chief Joseph Bennett announced this week that he will retire from the Hopkinton Police Department on June 30. Bennett has served the department for 35 years, joining as a patrol officer in July 1993. He was appointed chief in April 2020.
His current contract expires in June. A March 2026 letter to the editor published in HopNews noted that Bennett is “maxing out on his retirement at the close of his contract.” Town Manager Elaine Lazarus and Select Board Chair Joe Clark both praised Bennett’s tenure in the official announcement. Neither addressed whether the town offered a contract extension.
A Turbulent Tenure
Bennett’s six years as chief were marked by ongoing scrutiny from residents, town officials, and his own department. In April 2023, all six of the department’s sergeants sent Bennett a formal letter of no confidence. The letter cited years of unfilled leadership positions, chronic understaffing, and a pattern of broken promises on promotions. As of that letter, 14 officers had left the department under Bennett’s leadership.
The department’s deputy chief position sat vacant from April 2020 until Bennett was required to fill it. The lieutenant position went unfilled from October 2021. Sergeants repeatedly stepped in to cover those duties without additional pay. Select Board Chair Muriel Kramer called this arrangement “wage theft” during a contentious 2024 performance review. Bennett disputed her characterization and accused Kramer of running a personal campaign against him.
Investigations and Controversies
Bennett’s tenure also drew scrutiny over the handling of a sensitive internal matter. In 2023, an unredacted document containing personal information about a sexual assault victim was posted to the HPD’s public blog. The document remained online for three days after the department was notified. The Northwestern County District Attorney’s Office investigated the disclosure.
2023 Boston Marathon Preparedness Plan
Bennett’s 2023 Boston Marathon preparedness plan listed thirteen Massachusetts State Police officers as emergency contacts. At the time of the marathon, none of them (not one!) were still employed by the Massachusetts State Police.
Several had retired years earlier. One had been indicted for financial crimes in 2020. The previous Select Board (Muriel Kramer, Amy Ritterbusch, Shahidul Mannan, Mary-Jo LaFrenier, Irfan Nasrullah) was informed of this but took no action.
What Comes Next
The Select Board will now begin the process of finding a new police chief. In February 2026, the board unanimously approved a public safety audit. That review is expected to inform the department’s direction under new leadership.
