Raynham’s police chief retires after 36 years in law enforcement

RAYNHAM, Mass. — Raynham Police Chief James Donovan began his career in law enforcement at a young age.

While still in high school, Donovan became a military policeman in the 772 Military Police Company, part of the Massachusetts National Guard, in Taunton.

He served as a military policeman with this company for six years, during which time he was deployed as part of Operation Desert Storm.

On Tuesday, Donovan retired from his 36-year career of “dedicated service” in law enforcement, most of which was served with Raynham Police, the department said in a statement.

Prior to joining Raynham’s department in 1987, Donovan had deep ties to the Raynham community as he was born and raised in town. He went on to attend Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School where he was in homeroom together with Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher Delmonte for all four years.

While both Donovan and Delmonte went on to become police chiefs of Raynham and Bridgewater respectively, Donovan began his work within the Town of Raynham in 1984 when he worked as a part-time custodian at 16 years old.

At 19, he joined the Raynham Police Department, where he has worked as a patrol officer, detective and sergeant. He also worked as an undercover investigator for the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force and other regional task forces.

In 2001, Chief Donovan received his first K-9 partner, a German Shepherd named Jambo, while working as a sergeant. Donovan and Jambo worked together up until 2009 when Jambo retired.

Following Jambo’s retirement, Donovan went on to work alongside K-9 Bear from 2009-2017. When Donovan was promoted to chief in 2011, he became the only police chief in Massachusetts to have a working K-9.

K-9 Bear continued to actively work until the department received the late K-9 Kyro in 2013. Bear officially retired in 2017, however, he continued to accompany Donovan to the station every day until he passed away at the age of 14 on Feb. 8.

In addition to serving as a K-9 officer for the department, Donovan served as the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) K-9 Units Control Chief since 2015. He also served as SEMLEC’s Assistant Control Chief of SWAT since 2016.

“I would like to recognize and thank my colleagues, the Raynham community and most importantly my family for supporting me and the department over the past three decades,” Donovan said in a statement. “Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to assist the community that I was born and raised in and have also raised my family in. It has been a pleasure to serve the community, and I look forward to watching the department continue to grow throughout the years.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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