Gould Named New Police Chief

Ralph J. ("Buddy") Gould, Jr., will be the next chief of police for Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges. Gould has served as the director of public safety at Holyoke Community College (HCC) since 2006. He will assume the Three College position on June 24.

The new chief of police will bring nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience to the job, from his initial police work as a community service officer in the town of Amherst (1983-1985) to his time at HCC. He has been a part-time police officer in Belchertown (1987-1991), a campus police officer at Amherst College (1988-1991), and an officer and sergeant for the Hadley Police Department (1985-2006).

For nearly 20 years, Gould has also taught police officers on both the state and municipal levels in training and professional development programs.

"I am honored to accept the position of chief of police for the Three Colleges," said Gould. "The opportunity to serve these campuses that are so rich in history, culture, and diversity is the pinnacle of my professional career. From everyone I've met and spoken with, I can see the Campus Police are held in high regard, and I will strive to continue and, where possible, enhance that image and level of service. Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith deserve a department committed to respect and public service to all students, faculty, staff, and visitors."

Gould, who grew up in Amherst, earned an associate's degree from Greenfield Community College in 1998, a bachelor's degree from Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, in 2005, and a master of science degree from New Charter University in San Francisco in 2012—all in criminal justice.

He is certified in a wide variety of police operations and training, including the management of critical incidents for higher education by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). Since 2009, he has also been an instructor in the IACLEA's multidisciplinary training program on the management of critical incidents at colleges and universities; the program emphasizes coordinated collaboration in both crisis preparation and crisis response between colleges and the local community police and fire departments and other area emergency agencies. The program is certified by FEMA, and Gould is one of just eight people certified to teach an executive overview of the course to the senior staff of any college or university.

Gould is currently co-chair of the emergency planning committee at Holyoke Community College and a member of its behavioral threat assessment team. He is also a member of the IACLEA, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Massachusetts Association of College Law Enforcement Administrators, and the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police.