Truro Police Chief to Take Off in New Career

TRURO – Call it a retirement that’s up in the air.

Truro’s police chief Kyle Takakjian will retire from the role on June 30^th – only to start flying and maintaining commercial airplanes the following day at Chatham Municipal Airport.

And it isn’t the first time he’s retired, either: Takakjian served 28 years as an active duty and reservist in the U.S. Coast Guard.

He joined with Truro police in 1988 after two years with the Provincetown force. Combined, he has 60 years of public safety experience.

But now, it’s on to his other love.

Takakjian said he was interested in military history and airplanes from an early age. He’s worked for the Chatham airport on the weekends for years, flying the white biplane and showing tourists Cape Cod from above.

“The Cape has so many ponds and kettle holes, dunes and beaches, and with that comes so much of the history of the Cape, and you get to share that when you’re flying with them,” he said.

Takakjian said his time in public safety, specifically in Truro, was incredibly fulfilling.

He is credited with instituting the town’s K-9 unit and a crisis intervention team designed to tackle residents’ mental health challenges.

“It’s a very needed service, we know we have people in our communities that are struggling and it’s a way for us to help them,” he said. “In traditional policing, we wouldn’t have that tool in our toolbags.”

One of the largest challenges facing the town in the years ahead is the ability to staff the town’s public safety department year-round. Truro is one of the few remaining towns which has a one-officer-per-day shift in the winter.

Takakjian reduced single-officer shifts in Truro from 350 to 125 per year by hiring two additional officers.