EASTHAMPTON — After 24 years on the police force, Police Chief Robert Alberti has tendered his resignation and is set to retire in November at the conclusion of his current medical leave period.

In a July 15 resignation letter to the city, Alberti cited “health concerns” as his reason for stepping down.

In what Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle called a “surprising” resignation, Alberti, 51, put forth his retirement date along with an immediate request for medical leave. LaChapelle told the Gazette that Alberti went on medical leave for a period set to end on Nov. 26, and that same date will serve as the beginning of his retirement.

Alberti began serving Easthampton as a special police officer in 2000. After moving through the ranks of the department, including eight years spent as a detective, Alberti was promoted to the rank of chief in 2016. Since then, he has overseen the department’s operation and secured numerous grants to better its services.

“He has brought the Easthampton Police Department into a different era of policing,” LaChapelle said. “He leaves this position with the department not only in a better place, but in a more modern place.”

Lachapelle noted the work that Alberti did to bring the department through the pandemic, as well as “racial reckoning that is ongoing,” with law enforcement throughout the nation. She also noted Alberti’s prominent role in the regionalization of Easthampton’s dispatch operations.

“Certainly the last six years have been incredibly intense ... it’s sad to hear that his health was so affected that we are at this point,” said LaChapelle. “I respect him greatly, and I respect his decision to step back and take care of his health … that’s something that public safety officials often struggle with.”

Alberti could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Alberti grew up in the area and graduated from Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in 1990. Early in his police career, he worked part time at police departments in Sunderland, Southampton and Easthampton while employed full time at Rock Valley Tool.

In 2002, he was promoted to a full-time officer for the Easthampton Police Department. A year later, he earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Curry College. In 2004, Alberti was promoted to detective.

He spent six years as the Easthampton agent working for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in Springfield. During his time working for the DEA, Alberti was able to investigate drug trafficking cases beyond Easthampton and Massachusetts.

City Councilor Owen Zaret, chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, said in a message to the Gazette that Alberti’s leave and ultimate resignation “came as a complete surprise” to him.

“In my years of service on the council, now twice as chair of public safety, he has been an unfaltering, indispensable and prompt municipal partner,” Zaret said. “I applaud his dedication to his department. I wish him all the best and will miss his leadership.”

Deputy Police Chief Dennis Scribner is serving as the interim chief for the 32-member department while city officials set out to explore a search process for Alberti’s replacement.

“He knows the operations, he’s worked side-by-side with the chief,” LaChapelle said of Scribner.

According to LaChapelle, the city will embark on an external search process to find a new chief, beginning by “looking at other towns and how they structure it,” to inform procedures and timelines. She expects to have an idea of “what that looks like” by early September.

“We’re putting that together as we speak,” she said.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.