Police Lt. Andy Goddard Retiring Next Month

CHATHAM – After 27 years on the force in Chatham and 33 years as a police officer, Lt. Andrew Goddard is retiring next month.

“I love going to work every day,” he said. A Connecticut native, Goddard started as an architecture major in college, eventually trying some internships in law enforcement. He took a job as a part-time officer in Eastham and quickly became hooked on small-town policing.

“I never had a desire to live in a big city,” Goddard said. In a small town like Chatham, people know him by name and turn to him personally for help. “You build up a trust with them,” he said. Even when his job is to issue a violation or make an arrest, people generally don’t complain much. “The key is to be fair and consistent with everybody,” Goddard said. “I’ve done arrests by appointment,” he added.

Goddard started as a patrolman in Chatham in July 1997, hired by former Chief Kevin Fitzgibbons, and made sergeant in 2008. Since 2018, he’s been a lieutenant, one of the department’s top leadership positions. Over that time, policing has changed dramatically.

“Both policing and this job have become much more of a profession than a job,” he said. Today’s officers provide a much higher level of service beyond simple law enforcement, “and empathy toward the public generally has increased tremendously.” Police today are mental health interventionists and community caretakers, “which is all for the good,” Goddard said. The employment stream is also different than when he started, Goddard said, with today’s officer candidates sought out for their communication skills, their education and their people skills.

“That’s not what they were looking for back in the day,” he said. Police officers today are also much more highly trained than their predecessors.

“When I started, I went six years without going to the police academy,” Goddard said. The Chatham Police have transitioned to a modern, 21st century police department with more professionalism and members who are all focused on improving themselves and solving problems, “not just the chief, not just the patrolmen, but everybody in between,” Goddard said.

Now almost 55, Goddard said it’s time to seek out new challenges and to spend time with family, “and to allow the department to grow and move into new directions with new people.” His last day of work will be Aug. 19.

What will he be looking forward to in retirement? Goddard doesn’t hesitate.

“Sleeping through the night without the phone ringing,” he said. Going places and not being tethered to the phone, taking vacations without worrying about department coverage. Goddard and his wife, Polly, will also be traveling more often. He surely won’t miss the traumatic parts of police work, but he will miss the interactions with citizens.

“The favorite parts have been helping people,” he said. “Law enforcement is one of those very unique occupations when you can have an immediate and direct impact on someone’s life, usually at one of their times of greatest crisis.”