BSU Police Chief Tillinghast working remotely
Bridgewater State University Chief of Police, Officer David H. Tillinghast, has been serving remotely from Punta Gorda, Florida since early 2023. Tillinghast will make more than $170,000 this year while working remotely.
Tillinghast has worked for BSU for more than 30 years and was set to retire last year, but when his replacement fell ill those plans were put on hold. Deputy Chief Glen Anderson was set to take over the role of Chief of Police, but first needed to go through treatment for a terminal lung disease. (Boston 25)
In an interview with The Independent Tillinghast said “We determined that this decision would be the least disruptive to the functioning of the department and would ensure continuity of three members of the command staff as Glen underwent testing and treatment,” he said.
President Fred Clark was the one who ultimately made the decision. In an interview with Boston 25 he said, “We needed to make sure we had a second in command that could move up to chief. And our second in command, unfortunately, needed a double lung transplant. You can be effective remotely, through an administrative law enforcement role,” Clark said.
Tillinghast has remained in constant contact with the department here on campus and BSU has remained safe. Clark told Boston 25 that the campus had been named the 4th safest in America by Academic Influence. (PR Newswire)
However, the remote work Tillinghast has been doing has not come without issue. Massachusetts state law requires all officers to obtain a certification with the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. A POST representative spoke with Boston 25 and revealed that: “Tillinghast came up for recertification on June 30, 2024, and received a certification outcome of ‘Not Certified’ effective July 8, 2024. This outcome was due in part for failure to attend in-service training and the Bridge Academy.”
Tillinghast appealed POST’s decision on July 26. His certification will remain active while the appeal is awaiting judgment.
Tillinghast is now set to retire in November as Anderson has undergone and recovered from a double lung transplant.
