COMMUNITY policing defined the 40-year tenure of recently retired police officer Charlie Peabody (right) who was praised by Police Chief Dave Breen at a special presentation by the Board of Selectmen March 9. (Maureen Doherty Photo)

COMMUNITY policing defined the 40-year tenure of recently retired police officer Charlie Peabody (right) who was praised by Police Chief Dave Breen at a special presentation by the Board of Selectmen March 9. (Maureen Doherty Photo)

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

LYNNFIELD — Recently retired police officer Charlie Peabody received appreciative applause and high praise during a presentation by the Board of Selectmen in honor of his 40 years of dedicated service to the Lynnfield Police Department.

Police Chief Dave Breen described Peabody as “a very compassionate person” and “an excellent officer” at the presentation on March 9.

“I want to thank him myself for all he has done for the department,” Breen said. “He cast a great light on the department. Charlie Peabody was ‘community policing’ before it was even invented.”

Lightheartedly, Breen joked that “Charlie wanted to know the very first detail that he worked, so we went back and we looked at the files. We had to go up in the attic and open a box. The very first detail he worked was the front door of Kimball’s Starlight Ballroom.” This drew some hearty laughter from the audience and the board.

Peabody has been appointed a special police officer so even though he’s retired, Breen said he’ll still be a familiar face in the community “working details as a special officer.”

Prior to presenting the board’s official proclamation, Selectmen Chairman Dave Nelson thanked Peabody for “your dedicated service and the years that you’ve given to Lynnfield. Many people in town really have a high respect for you. I hope you have many good years ahead and you achieve what you want to do and go where you want to go and spend it with whom you want to and just really enjoy yourself.”

The proclamation read by Nelson stated in part: “In the course of four decades as a member of the Lynnfield Police Department, Officer Charles Peabody served the department with distinction and his community with distinction, and always in a manner that has been a credit to himself, the Department and the Town.”

It further stated: “During his service, Officer Charles Peabody has earned the respect and affection of his fellow officers, town employees and residents through not only his honesty, efficiency, dedication and expertise, but also through his compassion, humor and warmth.”