Hampden Police Chief Jeff Farnsworth submitted his letter of resignation with 30 days notice to take on a new position. Farnsworth has been with the department since 1992, after coming from a police department in a neighboring town, working his way up the ranks.

"It's been a while, but it is time," said Farnsworth. "It's time to move on."

Farnsworth started in law enforcement more than 30 years ago. He's served as chief of police for Hampden Police Department and as the president of the Mass Chiefs of Police Association.

Now, he is taking his experience to a new position, where he will serve as the senior policy advisor to the secretary of public safety.

"I have to thank the secretary for his confidence to bring someone into EOPS who has walked the walk and be able to bring that perspective and have the ability to deal with all the chiefs across the state," said Farnsworth.

His first order of business will be to make sure all the police departments in the state meet the benchmarks set out in the recently passed police reform legislation Governor Charlie Baker signed last week.

"It really is important for accountability, we have said that for a long time," said Farnsworth.

He said the legislation will help make sure all officers are trained to the same level and create a mandatory certification process. It allows for an officer to have their certification taken away if they aren't doing what they are supposed to. Farnsworth added that he can give perspective from someone who has been in law enforcement, to help best implement these new practices.

"The fact of the matter is, the officer on the street, day in and day out, doing their job, it is not going to affect them in the least, except they are going to get more training," said Farnsworth. "We've said many times we have some of the best trained officers in the country, and we are just going to notch that up a little."

Farnsworth's last day as chief will be on January 20.​