BURLINGTON — The Burlington Police Department is pleased to announce that Thomas Browne has officially started his role as Chief of Police.
Chief Browne has served the Burlington community since 2001. He was sworn in on Wednesday, June 30, at a ceremony at Grand View Farm. Chief Browne succeeds Chief Michael Kent, who officially retired Thursday following a 40-year career in law enforcement.
In his new role, Chief Browne will work to continue to strengthen accountability and transparency and ensure Burlington’s officers are ambassadors for peace and tolerance. He also will continue to ensure that officers have the tools and resources needed for modern community policing.
“It is a great honor, and great responsibility, to lead the Burlington Police Department,” Chief Browne said. “The Department has become a model of 21st-century law enforcement, and reflective of the values and ideals of Burlington. We will focus on further building the trust between residents and Department, and look forward to continuing to collaborate with our residents and organizations in our community.”
Chief Browne began his law enforcement career in the Hampton, N.H., Police Department in 1993 as a part-time officer. He started as a full-time officer in the Rochester, N.H., Police Department in 1994, then transferred to the Hudson, N.H., Police Department in 1995, quickly ascending to Detective and Patrol Sergeant.
He started with Burlington Police as a Patrol Officer in March 2001. He was promoted to Drug Detective (April 2003), then Patrol Sergeant (August 2004).
He was promoted to Detective Sergeant in August 2005, serving as liaison with local courts. He simultaneously served as Traffic Sergeant starting in 2008, working on grant funding and coordinating traffic operations.
In 2013 he was promoted to Lieutenant. In that role, he designed recruitment processes, implemented the training selection process, and led the Field Training Program.
Chief Browne was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2018, a role in which he managed the day-to-day operations of all facets of the Department and worked with Chief Kent and Division Commanders to implement department objectives.
He also ushered in a new era for the Department as its accreditation manager, helping the Department achieve certification status from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission for the first time in 2003. As a lieutenant, he built upon that work by leading BPD to full accreditation in 2008 and multiple re-accreditation awards since then, keeping the department in line with state and national best practices for law enforcement.
He is a certified instructor with the Municipal Police Training Committee, and a certified assessor with the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Committee. He has volunteered with several Burlington youth sports organizations and served on the Board of Directors of LEADS Foundation, Inc. (Law Enforcement Assisting Down Syndrome).
Chief Browne holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law. He has been licensed to practice law in Massachusetts since 2010.
Chief Browne is a Burlington native, one of seven children of the late James and Margaret Browne, and a 1990 Burlington High School graduate. He and his wife, Michelle, have been married for almost 18 years. Their three daughters Katelyn, 16, Megan, 14, and Jillian, 12, attend Burlington schools. He has three brothers and three sisters. Two of Deputy Browne’s brothers serve on the Burlington Fire Department. A third brother retired from the Fire Department in January after 34 years of service.