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Lavigne always wanted to be a police officer, even after her own brush with the law

By J.J. Huggins
Staff writer
Published: June 29, 2008

METHUEN — Like many children, Katherine Lavigne dreamed of becoming a cop one day.

The 46-year-old pursued the dream to the point where she is now set to become chief of the Methuen Police Department, the first female chief in the area and one of only a handful of female chiefs in the state.

"I'm one of those that in the fifth grade, I knew that was the type of work I wanted to do," she said. "I just saw it as the type of work that I knew I could do. I saw it as the type of work that you were just out there helping people."

Lavigne's own brush with the law didn't stop her from becoming a police officer. Lavigne, during a meeting with The Eagle-Tribune editorial board, explained that police charged her with shoplifting when she was 17.

She said her friend worked as a cashier at Zayre's department store and rang up items and let Lavigne buy them for a discount on three occasions. Lavigne served three months of probation and the case was continued without a finding, she said.

"It's the biggest mistake of my life, let me put it that way," Lavigne said. "I regretted it for many, many years and it has definitely kept me on the straight and narrow since then. Just don't go anywhere near anything like that. Don't be tempted by something like that, because it affects you in the long term, to this day obviously, many years later."

Lavigne said the meeting at the newspaper was the first time she publicly commented about the incident.

Mayor William Manzi, who named Lavigne acting chief after placing former Chief Joseph Solomon on leave last September, has now appointed Lavigne to be permanent chief. Manzi fired Solomon on May 7.

The mayor knew about Lavigne's brush with the law, and he said it shouldn't disqualify her from being the top cop.

"I look at her age and I think that she acknowledges mistakes, which is important," Manzi said. "I also look back on my own childhood times. We've all maybe done a couple of wacky things in our younger times."

The important thing to consider, Manzi said, is Lavigne's record as a police officer.

"I think if you look at her record, it's exemplary," he said. "I'm proud to have her as the chief of Methuen."

Lavigne said her ascent to becoming commander of the 88-member department was not ideal. She became chief because of the downfall of her old boss, Solomon.

Manzi suspended Solomon for three days last year for mismanaging federal grant money. The mayor tapped Lavigne to step in as acting chief for those three days.

Manzi placed Solomon on administrative leave Sept. 28, after calling the department "untenable and dysfunctional." He told Lavigne she would not become the acting chief that time, because officials wanted to recruit someone from outside Methuen to run the department.

"What she said to me was, 'You tell me what I need to do to help this department get beyond this, and that's what I'll do for you,'" Manzi recalled. "When she left, I said to myself, 'There's a good person in there, someone that can take news like that.' It weighed heavily on me."

Manzi soon realized the city couldn't quickly and effectively secure an outsider, so he tapped Lavigne to run the show. He said he chose her because she could get along with people.

"You had a situation where, I think, that prior administration had a personality that was less amenable to working closely with people and being consensus driven," Manzi said. "I was looking more for somebody that would try to build a little bit more consensus and do more of the reach-out-type activity within the department. I felt that she, in that sense, was a good fit. I think I've been proven right by that."

But Manzi didn't think Lavigne had enough support from the City Council to be hired as permanent chief. She has since won the councilors over — all nine of them said they support her appointment.

Lavigne reorganized the department and took some officers away from desks and put them on the street. She reached out to community groups. She held an open house at the police station. She responded to citizens' concerns. City Councilors said they got calls from constituents saying they were pleased to see more cruisers driving through their neighborhoods.

"She's moved Methuen in a positive direction," Councilor Jeanne Pappalardo said.

The second-in-command at the Police Department is Capt. Thomas Fram. Manzi said Fram and Lavigne make a good team. Both are "good street cops." Fram has experience with the SWAT team, and Lavigne is good at dealing with the public, Manzi said.

"I think Fram and her have styles that could be considered to be different, but they are complementary," he said.

On July 7, the City Council is scheduled to vote to confirm or deny Lavigne's appointment. Her contract and salary will be negotiated and subsequently voted on by the council.

Lavigne contacted the International Association of Chiefs of Police looking for someone to give her advice, and they connected her to Lexington police Chief Christopher Casey.

"I have found her to be extremely experienced, articulate, and her perspective of policing is one that is trying to take the department at all levels for their strength and skills and to get people included and to get them more engaged in the community," he said.

Speaking from his experience, Casey said, a chief needs to get all officers to move in the same direction, and has to be seen as fair and as a person of integrity, and a leader who hires the right people and promotes the right officers.

Lavigne is a "consensus builder" who isn't afraid to ask questions and enlist involvement from people, and "that's a good trait and it will serve her well," Casey said.

"What I see is somebody that is deeply committed to her community, that is deeply committed to the department, and I see someone that has the energy and the focus to pull those things together and move the organization forward," he said.

About Katherine Lavigne

Age: 46

Education: Greater Lawrence Vocational School; Northern Essex Community College; University of Massachusetts Lowell (undergraduate) and Western New England College (master's)

Town: Grew up in Methuen, now lives in Haverhill

Family: Not married

Previous work: Personnel for Analog Devices for eight years

Methuen police career: Hired in 1990; promoted to sergeant in 1998, lieutenant in 2002 and captain in 2004

Hobbies: soccer, snowboarding, hiking, biking