WILLIAMSBURG — Protect and Serve is a series highlighting local police officers during National Police Week. Today, meet William & Mary Auxiliary Police Officer Tom Chamberlain.
Chamberlain, who had a long career at Newport News Shipbuilding as an electrical engineer, took an interest in law enforcement after taking part in the James City County Citizens Police Academy.
“I always wanted to be a police officer but it just never worked out. I became an engineer instead. I took the James City County Citizens Police Academy and thought, ‘man this is pretty cool.’ Our neighbor, as it turned out, was the police chief at William & Mary. I went and talked to him and basically asked if he would hire me if I worked for free,” Chamberlain explained.
He went to the local police academy at night and joined the William & Mary department upon his graduation. While serving as an officer is his primary job, Chamberlain makes it a point to try and meet as many students as possible.
“The college students keep me young. I try and do as much interaction with them as possible when I’m working. I get out of the car, walk around, talk to students. I really like that interaction with the kids,” Chamberlain said.
He and his wife also “adopt” a student every year through the Catholic Campus Ministry. Through his volunteer efforts with the Catholic Campus Ministry, Chamberlain also cooks dinner for the students every Sunday.
“When the kids find out that I’m cooking, there is usually a bigger crowd than otherwise. They really like my chili and grilled cheese night,” Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain can be found on the sidelines at Tribe athletics events, works protection details for campus VIPs and more. He served as a security guard for Margaret Thatcher when she would visit the college. He’s also worked the protective detail for a campus visit from The Dalai Lama.
“Those kind of special events are pretty cool. You meet some very interesting people doing what I do,” Chamberlain said.
In 2018, Chamberlain was selected as an honoree for the President’s Award. The President’s Office and the Office of Community Engagement present the award annually to a student and a staff or faculty member who have “demonstrated a sustained commitment to service and made a significant and measurable impact on our community,” according to the award website.
Overall, Chamberlain loves his interactions with the college-aged community.
“The students at William & Mary give so much to the community. They are involved in the community and they do a tremendous amount of volunteer work for the Williamsburg community. It’s such a pleasure to see all of that and to spend time with them. The positive interaction is just so awesome, when students see us in a different light. Often, they see us when they are having a very bad day and the positive interaction helps us to form a bond with them,” Chamberlain said.
When he isn’t working at William & Mary, Chamberlain also works as the treasurer on the Board of Directors at Dreamcatchers and is the current chairman of the York County Board of Equalization.