GREENFIELD — City officials have announced that Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. is retiring from his position, effective Friday, Feb. 16.

Deputy Police Chief William Gordon will assume responsibilities as acting/provisional police chief, under his preexisting employment contract, effective Saturday.

In a statement posted to the Police Department’s Facebook page, Haigh thanked the city for the opportunity to lead the police force. It also stated he made the announcement of his retirement to a private gathering of more than 40 people, including “family, staff friends, fellow law enforcement officials and partnering agencies.”

“I have loved working with and for all of Greenfield. It has been an honor to be the chief of police for this community, and for the men and women of this amazing agency,” Haigh said in the statement. “It is time to put my family first, and move on to something new. You all have my deepest appreciation and respect. Stay strong and take care of one another.”

A voicemail left for Haigh was not returned on Friday.

Gordon, in a brief phone interview, said Haigh’s retirement was a “sudden decision on his part,” but the department is always prepared to execute a succession plan for whenever someone leaves their position.

“The transition will be seamless,” Gordon said. “We have a policy that addresses this and we’ll follow the policy and work with the Mayor’s Office and City Council.”

Mayor Ginny Desorgher was unavailable for comment Friday. A brief statement from the mayor’s office noted that Keith Barnicle, who is chief of staff, was serving as acting mayor in Desorgher’s absence. Desorgher will return Monday, Feb. 19, and the mayor’s office has no additional comments at this time, according to the statement.

The city received a letter confirming Haigh’s retirement on Thursday.

City Council President John Bottomley said in a statement that the city has a chance to move forward from the ongoing litigation and appeal resulting from a May 6, 2022 jury verdict that found Haigh and his department had racially discriminated against a former officer.

“The primary public forum for expressing frustration and outrage over the chief’s conduct has been through City Council meetings. It has been a painful experience for all involved,” Bottomley said. “His decision to leave provides a much-needed opening for trust to be rebuilt.”

Haigh’s retirement comes just days before next week’s City Council meeting, where both Haigh and Gordon are up for $33,901 and $35,255 pay increases through education incentives, which were negotiated through two memorandums of understanding with former Mayor Roxann Wedegartner.

City Council Vice President Sheila Gilmour said she was “caught a little off guard” by Haigh’s retirement, but she figured an announcement of this kind was coming at some point, especially with his contract expiring at the end of December.

“I’m not sure what prompted the whole thing,” Gilmour said. “I imagine that the writing was on the wall. … I didn’t think he was going to be with us a lot longer.”

An Orange native, Haigh was hired as Greenfield’s police chief in October 2013 under the leadership of then-Mayor William Martin. He had previously served as Orange’s police chief and began his career in law enforcement as a patrolman in Greenfield in 1999.

The statement posted to Facebook highlights numerous accomplishments the department has achieved during his tenure, which includes state accreditation, the restoration of the K-9 program and enhanced partnerships with Clinical & Support Options, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Northwestern District Attorney’s Anti-Crime Task Force.

He also served as the former president of the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and was a recipient of the Phil Hano Award in 2019, which recognizes exceptional community support and service.

Haigh also has faced public criticism the past couple of years in the wake of the 2022 verdict in Hampshire County Superior Court that found that he and the Police Department racially discriminated against former Officer Patrick Buchanan, the department’s only Black officer at the time, when he was denied a promotion in 2014 and then again in 2020. Buchanan was first awarded $92,930 in lost back wages and $350,000 for emotional distress. The judgment now totals closer to $1 million — an award that includes about $289,000 in interest and other statutory costs, and nearly $279,000 in attorney fees that were awarded by the court.

Following the verdict, Haigh was placed on paid administrative leave for about four months, but was reinstated by Wedegartner in September 2022. During his leave, Gordon served as acting chief.

Some residents, including some who gathered to protest outside Greenfield City Hall in advance of a City Council meeting that summer, called for Haigh to be fired after the jury’s verdict.

The city has subsequently appealed the verdict. Buchanan’s Appeals Court brief was due Friday.

Gilmour said it’s been tough for people to separate the efforts of the patrol officers from the racial animus verdict and that the decision to retire was possibly “him leaving on his own terms and trying to save face.”

“I want to support our Police Department because I know they’re a crucial part of the community, but it’s been really, really hard to support the officers that are out there taking care of day-to-day community needs without the perception that I’m OK with everything that happened with the chief,” Gilmour said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next and we’ve got some room to grow, and I think we’ve got a lot of people willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

“I want to see a new police chief come in that’s going to take care of the whole community and put the people first. … The community needs someone different and deserves a fresh start and I’m happy we’re going to have that now,” Gilmour added. “I hope we can put some of the ugliness behind us after this.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.