MARION — Town Administrator Jay McGrail, the Marion Board of Selectmen and the Marion Police Department are pleased to announce that Marion Police Lt. Richard Nighelli has been selected to be the town’s new police chief come January.
Lt. Nighelli will take over the duties as chief on Jan. 3, 2021 succeeding Chief John Garcia who announced in February that he will retire on Jan. 2, 2021.
Lt. Nighelli began his career as a police officer with the Department of Mental Health in Boston in 1999. He became a patrolman with the Nantucket Police Department in 2002 before being hired as a patrolman with the Marion Police Department in 2003. He was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and promoted to lieutenant in January 2018.
Lt. Nighelli served as the accreditation manager during Marion’s state re-accreditation process in 2018 and previously served as Operations Commander for the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) SWAT team.
“Lt. Nighelli has been a dedicated member of the Marion Police Department for the past 17 years of his career,” said Board of Selectmen Chair Randy Parker. “We are confident that he is an excellent fit for the position and we look forward to having him lead the department for many years to come.”
###