A happy cop who's near the top; As police lieutenant, Perry is second in command.

Byline: Steven H. Foskett Jr.

SUTTON - As she pinned the lieutenant's badge on David Perry, Kathy Perry joked that her husband wore his bulletproof vest to the ceremony to avoid being punctured by her.

It was a moment of gentle ribbing for the veteran officer, who had been a sergeant for several years.

The Sutton native and a 20-year member of the department assumed the No. 2 spot on the force on Tuesday, when the Board of Selectmen ratified his promotion.

The previous lieutenant, Dennis J. Towle, took over for retiring Chief John Hebert last spring. A panel that included local police chiefs chose the new lieutenant.

At the meeting Tuesday night, Chief Towle commended Lt. Perry as a police officer of high integrity and as a good human being. He told a story about a recent call.

"Around two weeks ago, then-Sgt. Perry called in from Worcester," Chief Towle said. "He said he followed a car into Worcester all the way from Lincoln Road. We had some housebreaks, and the description was similar to the guys in the car."

He said he called back to dispatch to say he would hang back and follow the car for a while.

"Then he says, `I'm not working, I'm in my personal car.' I guess that's a good description of the person and the profession."

Lt. Perry said he is assuming the new job at an exciting time for the department. He said the force is relatively young, and officers are willing to try Chief Towle's new approaches to the job.

"The people that work at the Police Department make you look forward to coming to work," Lt. Perry said.

He joined the force when he was 20 and said he can't think of ever wanting to change careers.

"I decided at an early age, and this is what I went for," he said.

Lt. Perry said he is looking forward to getting off the graveyard shift, which he assumed when he became a sergeant.

"Doing that was the right thing for my career at the time," Lt. Perry said. "But when you're getting married and having three young kids, it's not really conducive to family life."

NAME: SUTTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

ART: PHOTO

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/CHRISTINE PETERSON

CUTLINE: Lt. David Perry, a 20-year member of the department, assumed the No. 2 spot on the force Tuesday.