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New Police Department hires bring diversity of skills and training

This fall has seen a flurry of changes at the Harvard Police Department—from the retirement of its current sergeant, to the return of a former officer, to the first addition of a new position in 21 years.

Early in October, Sgt. Matthew Callahan retired after serving as a police officer for more than 33 years, with the past six years as a full-time officer in Harvard. He plans to continue as a reserve officer for the department. Before coming to Harvard, Callahan had been a full-time officer for 22 years in the towns of Ayer and Ashby and as a part-time officer for more than five years before that. He is now working at Clear Path for Veterans as facility operations manager.

Sgt. Matt Callahan. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

At the time of his retirement, Callahan was the department’s only sergeant. In late November, four current officers took the test for promotion, and Chief James Babu has announced Aaron Cavanaugh will be promoted to sergeant, effective Dec. 8.

Also in November, Officer Tyler Forbes returned to the department after a two-year stint with the Bolton Police Department. Forbes has 14 years’ experience as a police officer, much of it in Marlborough, where he grew up. He worked for a year in the Harvard Police Department before going to Bolton in 2022, where he reached the rank of sergeant. “I loved the responsibility,” Forbes said, “but I missed the town of Harvard.”

While he worked in Bolton, Forbes and his family often came back to Harvard for town events such as Halloween. He said he missed the family orientation of both the town and the Police Department here. So, when Callahan’s retirement created an opening in the department, Forbes returned.

Meanwhile, the fiscal 2025 budget also allowed for hiring a new officer. It was the first additional officer here since 2003, said Chief Babu. The new position was filled near the end of November by Officer Donald Calderan, who—like Forbes—came from the Bolton department. Calderan grew up in Lynn, and he worked for more than a decade with the Department of Public Health Police at Tewksbury Hospital before going to Bolton.

Officer Tyler Forbes. (Courtesy photo)

Calderan started the police drone team in Bolton and expects to work with the drone team here. Calderan used to enjoy building and flying his own drones. But since becoming a father a couple of years ago, he said, he has given up the time-consuming hobby of building them from scratch, although he still flies them. Speaking of his return to Harvard, he said, “I’m happy to be here. … It’s a great department.”

Calderan began his new job in Harvard with a 40-hour program of critical incident training. CIT certification focuses on dealing with people who are in crisis from substance abuse, mental health issues, or similar emergencies. According to Babu, critical incident training offers “a step away from traditional policing models.” He said officers who have had this training are less likely to use force in such situations, and the result is fewer complaints from the public against those officers.

Plans for a more structured department

The recent changes bring the Police Department to 10 officers, including the chief. Babu is asking for one additional officer to be hired in fiscal 2026. (He asked for two last year, but only one new position was approved—the one filled by Calderan.) Adding one more person in the coming year, Babu said, would allow every shift to be covered by two officers.

Officer Donny Calderan. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Babu explained it is becoming harder to fill shifts by asking officers to work overtime. He said overtime was previously considered a “win-win” solution, as it provided extra income for officers but was less expensive for the town than hiring more people. But, he said, police departments in all towns are now finding it harder to convince people to work those longer hours.

In making new hires, Babu said he looks for diversity in skills and training, so the department can have “the right people in the right place.” Because Harvard has a small department, he said, it offers fewer chances of promotion. But he tries to compensate by offering the officers as many training opportunities as possible, allowing them to follow their interests and develop their skills.

As his five-year goal, Babu said he hopes he can promote a second officer to sergeant and eventually create the position of lieutenant as his second in command. He said other departments in the area have either lieutenants or deputy chiefs. Babu sees that position as part of succession planning for leadership and also as part of a complete departmental organization.

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