The past year has been a challenging stretch for Brandon’s Police Department (BPD). When several officers moved on to other opportunities just over a year ago, staffing abruptly dropped from seven full-time officers to two.

Now, after the hiring of a lieutenant and two officers, the department is nearly back to full strength. At a recent selectboard meeting, when Chief David Kachajian introduced the newest officer to join the team, filling the last of what had been four open full-time positions, a current of joy and relief was palpable in the room.

I had the pleasure of meeting with most of the team last week to learn more about the individuals who make up our current department. My timing was good — had our appointment been a couple of hours later, most of them would have been tied up responding to a leaking tanker truck emergency in downtown Brandon!

Chief David Kachajian: Leading Through a Time of Transition

Chief David Kachajian has been stretched thin keeping the department running over the past 14 months. Kachajian and one officer, Ethan Kelleher, were left covering the entire town for the better part of a year. “It was not easy for us,” said Kachajian, who described working seven days a week for that whole period, between regular shifts and on-call duties.

Kachajian joined the department in 2022, after serving as Lieutenant/Acting Chief of Police in the Swanton, Vt., police department. Originally from Waltham, Mass., he has 30 years of experience working in both urban and rural departments in various parts of New England and also in county law enforcement.

“Every community is different,” he said. In a small town like Brandon, “you have to be ready to take on just about anything, since we don’t have the luxury of handing things off. We have to learn to do everything from warrants to computer crimes to death investigations.”

Kachajian explained that the recent staffing shortages as well as budget-driven cuts (from seven officers down to four) have forced the department to operate more reactively than proactively. They used to conduct more foot patrols and business checks, but now spend most of their time on investigations, many of which take at least two to three days to complete.

When he’s not at work, Kachajian enjoys cooking and spending time with his wife and two Belgian Malinois dogs.

 Lieutenant Paul Samataro: Second-in-Command

Lieutenant Paul Samataro joined the department in December 2025, bringing a similarly long and broad range of experience. He has also worked in police departments in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont over the past few decades. Most recently, he served as Chief Deputy (Captain) with the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department.

Samataro wasn’t available for an interview, but Kachajian described his role as being a “jack of all trades.” He assists the Chief with some of the larger investigations and helps with administrative duties such as background checks on employees and training.

Samataro is the first-line supervisor for the patrol officers and conducts internal investigations involving any complaints against the officers. He also acts as public information officer for the BPD when the Chief is not available to speak with the press.

Stay tuned for more introductions next week!