ROCHESTER — The Rochester Police Department welcomed a new officer to the force during a meeting of the Rochester Select Board on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

The Select Board unanimously voted to hire Gene Robinson as a patrolman in the Rochester Police Department.

According to Rochester Police Chief Robert Small, Robinson is a “local guy” who lives in Acushnet and is a graduate of Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School.

He was previously a police officer in Acushnet.

He has “over a decade in law enforcement [and] a lot of training at the police academy [and] a lot of experience,” said Small. “It would certainly save us a lot of time and energy getting him up and running.”

“He’s gone through all of our steps, all of our processing … he appears to be a great candidate,” said Small.