Table of Contents
Get our free local reporting delivered straight to your inbox. No noise, no spam — just clear, independent coverage of Marblehead. Sign up for our once-a-week newsletter.
The Select Board voted Wednesday night to promote Acting Capt. Jonathan Lunt to the rank of captain, following a recommendation from Police Chief Dennis King.
In a Feb. 4 letter to the board, King said he was recommending Lunt “without hesitation and with confidence” after the completion of the department’s promotional process.
Lunt has served as acting captain for the past 11 months, stepping into the role during what King described as a critical period for the department. He was appointed a full-time patrolman on Jan. 11, 1998, later serving as acting sergeant in 2006 and being promoted to lieutenant in 2007.
“Acting Captain Lunt is also the senior lieutenant,” King wrote, adding that Lunt has “the required skills, experience and knowledge required to fulfill the duties associated with the role and my full support.”
King noted that the effective date of the promotion is Feb. 12, 2026.
The captain’s role carries significant administrative responsibilities, including oversight of training, inspections and coordination of specialized programs within the department. Lunt has already been handling many of those duties while serving in the acting capacity.
During the meeting, board members thanked Lunt for his service and experience, citing his nearly three decades with the Marblehead Police Department and leadership during the transition following the retirement of longtime Capt. Matthew Freeman.
Lunt’s promotion formalizes a role he has effectively filled for nearly a year, ensuring continuity within the department’s command staff.
BEFORE YOU GO … Our reporting remains free and open to all. It is sustained by readers who choose to support it — by contributing so that routine, document-based local reporting continues without paywalls or promotional framing. Right now, 101 readers support The Marblehead Independent with monthly or annual contributions. Click here to become an Independent member.
