Home is where the heart is.
Student Officer Adam Bourgault ‘24 is right at home in Fitchburg.
Bourgault, 22, of Fitchburg, graduated from Fitchburg High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Fitchburg State University. He is currently in the 8th Recruit Officer Course and nearing the end of an intensive 17-week academy after which he and the other graduates will be certified to work in municipal departments in Massachusetts and neighboring states.
“I really love Fitchburg,” Bourgault said. “It’s home for me. It’s all that I’ve ever known. Right now Fitchburg is where I want to be.”
Fitchburg State is home to a one-of-a-kind criminal justice training model where, in five years, graduates obtain bachelor's degrees in criminal justice, Municipal Police Training Committee certification to become full-time Massachusetts municipal police officers, and master's degrees in criminal justice.
“I definitely would recommend the program,” Bourgault said. “If you are on the fence about being a police officer or if you even have a 60-40, yes-no, I think you should try the program because you get your feet wet in the police world. It teaches you some discipline.”
Having lived in Fitchburg his entire life, Bourgault appreciates the variety of and robustness of policing in his community compared to smaller towns in North Central Massachusetts.
“I like being part of the team,” he said “I played baseball and I like being part of a team. I just want to be a piece of a team and help each other.”
Bourgault is laser-focused on working in the city and making a difference.
“There’s plenty of work to be done here,” Bourgault said. “When it comes to police work, I don’t want to be the cop that sits in the parking lot and is waiting for my shift to be done. I want to be out there and doing things. Fitchburg is the place to be if you want to do that.”
Bourgault loves Fitchburg so much that he only applied to the Fitchburg Police Department, and has a job waiting for him once he graduates from the academy in September.
“Bourgault’s main interest is to serve the community he grew up in and lives in,” Fitchburg State University Police Academy Director Ola Wysocki said. “These are the unsung heroes of law enforcement, the local people wanting to work in their local community quietly serving because it is their calling. It is great to see hometown pride, especially in our host community.”
Bourgault is looking forward to jumping right into the Fitchburg PD team environment.
“When it comes to police work, it’s an all gas and no brakes kind of city,” he said.
Bourgault’s main interest is to serve the community he grew up in and lives in. These are the unsung heroes of law enforcement, the local people wanting to work in their local community quietly serving because it is their calling. It is great to see hometown pride, especially in our host community.
When it came time to think about college, the 2021 Fitchburg High graduate didn’t stray very far, enrolling in the criminal justice program at Fitchburg State.
One of his first professors was a retired city police officer who Bourgault took seriously from the start.
“These are professors who have done it and were cops,” Bourgault said. “You get their personal experiences, too, which is really nice. They have walked the walk.”
Bourgault has earned the title of First Squad Leader in the academy, which is a true leadership role.
“When we line up, I would be in charge of people,” he said. “If we have a uniform inspection, I would go down the line and make sure everyone is squared away. If they forgot something, they would have to tell me and I’d try and figure it out.”
Wysocki says that day by day in the academy, Bourgault has begun to find his voice.
“He has been assigned a leadership position which also reinforces the need to manage yourself and others,” she said. “Part of that is being able to have command presence and give direction. All our students must develop their own command presence. It has been a wonderful experience to watch Bourgault begin to develop his voice as a leader.”
At the beginning of the academy, everyone gets a shot at a leadership role, said Bourgault.
“They throw you into the fire and see how you do,” he said.
Bourgault didn’t get burned.
“Everyone here wants to be a leader, but it’s more responsibility. It’s more weight on your shoulders.”
Bourgault said he has gained more confidence throughout his journey to become a police officer.
“I’m getting more comfortable,” he said. “It’s a safe learning environment. This process has definitely made me more confident.”
The dream is nearly a reality for the 8th ROC class. The goal is graduating from the police academy and starting a career in law enforcement. Bourgault envisions himself being a “community oriented” officer.
“The one thing I do want to be known for is being fair,” he said. “Obviously you’re not going to be everybody’s friend, but I want to be fair, and treat people the way that I want to be treated.”