New cop and cruiser for town

The Hollis Police Department has a new officer and a new cruiser.

At Monday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Police Chief Russell Ux introduced officer Jonathan Tate, a Chelmsford, Mass., resident who was a full-time officer in Brookline for the past year.

Tate began his job last month in the midst of the ice storm that disabled the southern part of the state, knocking out power for days in many homes.

He is a graduate of Babson College and studied business, realizing after working in sales, he said, that his heart’s desire was law enforcement.

“I was interested in helping people,” Tate told selectmen.

Board Chairman Vahrij Manoukian joked with the newly hired officer about his choice of college. Manoukian is a graduate of Northeastern University and often makes a good-natured plug for his alma mater.

Tate replaces officer Kevin Irwin, a 22-year member of the Hollis Police Department, who retired late last year.

Hollis also has a new, 2009 Crown Victoria police cruiser, purchased in part with insurance money following a crash in Brookline in December that destroyed a 2007 cruiser. The accident occurred Dec. 11 while a Hollis officer was responding to a call for mutual aid in Brookline during the ice storm.