MILFORD — With officers from his new department and chiefs from several surrounding communities standing by, Police Chief Michael Viola was welcomed to Milford during his swearing-in ceremony Wednesday.

Viola, a captain with the Ft. Myers Police Department in Florida, is taking the helm after former chief Fred Douglas, who led the department for many years, retired at the end of June. With his family close by, Viola was sworn in by Town Moderator Peter Basiliere in a brief ceremony, and his wife Holly hung his new badge around his neck.

“This is a big deal,” said Town Administrator Guy Scaife before the ceremony. “The town of Milford does not have a history of turning over police chiefs very often.”

Viola worked his way up through the ranks in Fort Myers, working in many of the department's divisions and attaining the rank of captain, but when the position opened up in Milford, he and his wife Holly, who grew up in New Hampshire, and his five sons decided it was time to head north.

“We've been coming to New Hampshire around Christmas for years,” said Viola, including a recent trip to Pittsburg to go snowmobiling. “We decided to come to Milford because we wanted that smaller-town atmosphere for our kids to grow up in.”

Viola said that Fort Myers was a great city with a great police force, but he and his family are ready for a slower pace of life that New Hampshire can offer.

Wednesday was his first day on the job, and thus far, thing sare going well.

“The officers are great and the supervisors have been really helpful,” he said. “The biggest challenge will be getting to know everybody, finding out what their strengths and weaknesses are, and getting to know the people in the community.”

Knowing the men and women you're working with, and working for, is always the hardest part of stepping in to lead a department, said police chiefs Kyle Aspinwall from Mont Vernon and William Quigley from Brookline, who were there to welcome Viola.

“You're walking into an agency that's already cohesive, so you're kind of the outsider, but that's not necessarily a negative thing,” said Quigley.

“You're looking at things with a fresh set of eyes,” Aspinwall said.

Quigley said that coming in as the first new chief the department has had in many years means a lot of changes for everyone, “but I think Chief Viola understands that those changes have to happen gradually, not all at once.”

In addition to welcoming Viola, Scaife thanked Capt. Chris Nervik, who stepped in as acting chief until Viola arrived, and Capt. Stephen Toom, who helped keep the department running smoothly over the last month.
nfoster@newstote.com