ShareSWAMPSCOTT — Effective Friday, Sept. 8, Detective Ted Delano will retire — leaving behind his badge, his service weapon, and more than three decades of service to his community.
As officers, firefighters, and residents gathered in the Police Department’s second-floor briefing room for Delano’s retirement party Thursday morning, a banner hanging from the wall read in gold letters “Rude of you to leave, but OK.”
Lt. Gary Lord, who worked alongside Delano for roughly 30 years, broadcast his final radio call to the detective for the station to hear, thanking him for his service and wishing him well in his retirement.
“You have given so much to this town, the department, and to your brothers and sisters. On behalf of the community, this department, and the members of the Swampscott Police, we all wish you health, happiness, and prosperity in your new chapter of life,” Lord said. “Godspeed, Detective Delano.”
In 1993, Delano began his career in public service at the department. He followed in the footsteps of his father, the late Swampscott firefighter Francis Delano, and his grandfather, the late Swampscott Police officer Francis Delano Sr.
Serving as Swampscott’s only dedicated detective in the Criminal Investigations Division, Delano played a crucial role in the department’s push for more compassionate and thorough treatment of sexual-assault and domestic-violence victims.
“It’s more than just data. A lot of people nowadays only want to see the data and when you’re talking to a victim of domestic violence who just got a restraining order, or a victim of a sexual assault, they need help. Help isn’t just a 45-second conversation… Our residents, or the victims of any crime, deserve more than that,” Delano said.
Delano also worked on a variety of cases, from arson to civil-rights violations. He said he is proud of founding the department’s all-faiths meetings, in which members of any religious organization can meet with officers to discuss safety or wellbeing concerns in the community.
Delano also spent nine years on the School Committee before leaving in 2021. He served on the committee, he said, for the same reason he became a police officer — to help his community.
“We did help a lot of people, whether it be on the PD or the School Committee. I guess I take a lot of pleasure in that, and we’ve done our job,” Delano said.
During his career at the Police Department, Delano met his wife, Detective Candace Doyle. They have been married for more than 16 years.
“I consider it a privilege not only having worked with him as a coworker, but as my best friend, and later on, my husband,” Doyle said.
Capt. Joseph Kable said Delano was a kind, helpful, and knowledgeable mentor who guided him through his first few weeks when he joined the police force 25 years ago.
“Ted Delano was the first person in this department to reach out and greet me and say ‘welcome.’ He was the first person to step up to me when I needed something way back then and he has done that consistently throughout his career,” Kable said. “Everybody in this room has a debt to Ted. He’s an amazing person, we are so lucky to have had him, and we are not prepared to lose him right now.”
Police Chief Ruben Quesada echoed Kable’s remarks, calling Delano’s retirement a significant loss for the department.
“We are losing a legacy,” Quesada said. “Detective Delano has been invaluable to our department. His commitment and heart of service to the Swampscott community will be missed.”
Reflecting on a career of service, Delano said he hopes to see the department continue some of the strides it has made in recent years in mental-health response, victim assistance, and with the Police Association Holiday Parade, in which officers collect toys to distribute to neighborhood children.
Delano added that he hopes to see the department’s staff shortage remedied in the years to come.
“My brothers and sisters still live in the community because we do bleed blue and it’s a great community to raise your kids in,” Delano said. “I just hope that the manning issue at the station is rectified. It’s going to take a while, but hopefully it gets rectified.”
