After 41 years of service to the department, Chief Jack Pilecki is retiring from the Wellesley Police Department.
Chief Pilecki was born and raised in Wellesley and graduated from Wellesley High School. He was appointed to the Wellesley Police Department in July of 1983 as a Wellesley Police Officer.
As a police officer, he primarily worked the overnight shift for several years, and completed his bachelor's degree from Boston College, while marrying his wife, Jean Smith. Officer Pilecki obtained his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification, and began working on the Wellesley Police Department's ambulance, treating numerous people throughout the years.
Officer Pilecki was elected and served as the Wellesley Police Patrolman's Association President, representing the officers. In 1992, Officer Pilecki was appointed as the Department's Court Prosecutor, serving at Dedham District Court.
As the court prosecutor, he worked with the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office on a daily basis to coordinate all of the Wellesley Police Department's criminal cases. This included producing items for discovery, scheduling officers for trials, and coordinating plea agreements.
He continued in this role until 1997, when he was promoted to sergeant. As a new sergeant, he returned to patrol, supervising the midnight shift, before moving to evenings. In 2001, he was promoted to Lieutenant, where he took over command of the Wellesley Police Patrol Division. As the patrol Lieutenant, he wore many hats, including becoming the training officer for the department.
Lt. Pilecki was also assigned to the new "Traffic Committee" which consisted of a multi-town department group that analyzed various traffic issues in Wellesley. The Traffic Committee then made recommendations directly to the Select Board on ways to remedy or improve traffic flow within the community. The Traffic Committee was a new concept, which Lt. Pilecki embraced, and developed into an essential element that continues to remain relevant and important today.
In 2013, Lieutenant Pilecki was promoted to the rank of Deputy Police Chief. As the Deputy Police Chief, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Wellesley Police Department. This role was even more important, as the Police Chief at the time was serving various terms with the International Chiefs of Police Association (IACP) and frequently travelling, both home and abroad. Deputy Chief Pilecki oversaw the complete overhaul of the annual Boston Marathon plan following the terrorist attacks, and worked with multiple federal, state, and local agencies to ensure a safe race in 2014.
In 2017, Deputy Chief Pilecki was chosen by the Wellesley Select Board to become the Chief of Police. In this role, Chief Pilecki oversaw and was responsible for the complete modernization of the Wellesley Police Department. Chief Pilecki implemented numerous equipment and working conditions upgrades to reflect modern police tactics for police officers. This included modernizing the uniform, completely renovating the communication center, and replacing an antiquated radio antenna. He added positions in detectives, created an additional Lieutenant, while taking over and revamping Wellesley’s Parking and Traffic Department.
Chief Pilecki created a new paradigm for training in Wellesley, bringing in world renown instructors on topics such as Empathy and First Impressions. He looked for ways to reduce greenhouse gases, by switching the department over to a fleet of hybrid cruisers and purchasing the first fully electric cruiser. He participated in many town programs designed to reduce greenhouse gases as well.
Chief Pilecki was responsible for obtaining and funding the department's first Comfort Care Dog, as well as launching the department's UAV/Drone program. He formed a committee on painting traffic signal boxes throughout town by awarding grants to local artists. This resulted in the unique art and beautification of traffic boxes in the community. He oversaw the formation of the Wellesley Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) as well.
With Police Reform, Chief Pilecki was the founding member of the Town of Wellesley's groundbreaking Freedom Team, designed to be a confidential space for people to air concerns when they believe that they are victims of, or have witnessed, acts of racism or bias.
Throughout his career, and especially as the Police Chief, he took every opportunity to publicly promote the officers and members of the Wellesley Police Department. His two frequent quotes are "We have really good people" and "Do the right thing.”
Chief Pilecki managed to run the Boston Marathon on two different occasions and raised his son Jake and daughter Julia. Both of his children graduated from college.
Chief Pilecki is an avid golfer and enjoys working out and swimming. He is a big fan of the Patriots and German Shepherds.
The Town of Wellesley held a retirement party for Chief Pilecki on Monday, June 24, 2024, which was very well attended by many town officials, friends, and family.
The Wellesley Police Department wishes Chief Pilecki the absolute best in retirement, although Officer Tim Barros does suggest he pursue some golf lessons to correct that ‘unfortunate’ hook we’ve seen from the tee. Four!