New Police Chief Jeff Silva Officially Sworn In

On Wednesday, July 17 at 7 p.m., Westwood's new police chief, Jeffrey Silva, was sworn into office in front of a large crowd at the new public library. 

Westwood Board of Selectmen Chairman Nancy Hyde first read Silva's biography as was outlined on the ceremony program:

Chief Silva previously worked in New Bedford where, during his tenure, he served as a patrol officer and supervisor, school-based community police officer, Lieutenant, Detective Lieutenant, Public Information Officer, Chief of Detectives, and Commander of the Downtown District Station. He has worked as a background investigator and a major crimes detective.

After being promoted to Sergeant, Chief Silva worked as an investigator and supervisor in the Internal Affairs and Narcotics/Organized Crime divisions. He has also worked as a federal Task Force Agent for the US Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Chief Silva has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Spanish from Stonehill College, a Master of Arts in Spanish from Middlebury College, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Massachusetts School of Law. 

Hyde thanked Silva for the job he has done so far, since starting on May 28, including handling a serious incident that occurred last week on July 8. 

Chief Silva said he has heard a lot of comments about the differences between sleepy suburban Westwood (population 15,000) and the City of New Bedford (population 95,000).

Chief Silva said there are more similarities than differences, noting that parents put their children to bed at night hoping they will be safe in the morning; they want their children to be able to cross the street safely because of traffic; if people call the police in the middle of the night, they want to make sure someone is there to help them. 

"While the call volume may be different, policing is about solving problems, not about population, not about demographics, not about affluence," he said. 

If you would like to talk to Westwood Police Chief Jeffrey Silva, you are encouraged to stop by the police station, call 781-320-1000 or email him at "chief@westwoodpd.org"