The Wellesley Board of Selectmen promoted Detective Robert Gallagher to the rank of Sergeant during their meeting on January 23, 2018. Detective Gallagher was formally presented to the Board by Wellesley Police Chief Jack Pilecki. Chief Pilecki explained to the Board that a Sergeant’s vacancy was created with the promotion of Lieutenant Jeff Renzella earlier this month.
Detective Gallagher is a thirteen-year veteran of the Wellesley Police Department and has 20 years of full time law enforcement experience. During his tenure with the department, Detective Gallagher has served as a patrol officer and detective. Prior to transferring to Wellesley, he worked for the Maynard Police Department where he also served as a patrol officer and detective.
While serving in the Wellesley Police Department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, (BCI), Detective Gallagher has received significant training in the area of fingerprinting and forensic crime scene processing. Detective Gallagher is a certified fingerprint comparison expert, which has benefitted the department during numerous criminal investigations.
Aside from Detective Gallagher’s experience with crime scene processing, he has also served on the NORPAC Task Force, which investigates narcotics and serious crimes in several area Norfolk County towns. He has been part of many multi-jurisdictional task forces in eastern Massachusetts, investigating bank robberies and serious felonies that have brought him all over the New England states.
Detective Gallagher holds a B.S. in Law Enforcement and a M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England College and a M.S. in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven. He is also a graduate the 37th Session of the University of Rhode Island/Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory BCI School in Kingston, Rhode Island and the 43rd Session of the University of Tennessee’s National Forensic Academy (NFA).
Sergeant Gallagher will now be working in the Wellesley Police Department Patrol Division as shift supervisor.