EXETER — Sgt. Sonya Robicheau was promoted from officer to sergeant during a public swearing-in ceremony at last night’s Select Board meeting.
“I’m just looking forward to using my experience and knowledge to help the town and those that I’m working with,” she said after the ceremony attended by family and several members of both the police and fire departments.
Robicheau’s son and daughter had the honor of pinning their mom’s badge.
The Robicheau family has shown a strong commitment to public safety here in Exeter as Sgt. Robicheau’s husband, Patrick, is an Exeter fire captain who was promoted to his new role last year.
He’s excited to see his wife take a new leadership role at the Police Department, and even though they come from two different sides of public safety, it’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, he said.
“She’s supported me throughout my advancement in my career so it’s been great to see her progress,” he said.
Robicheau grew up in East Kingston and graduated from Exeter High School.
After becoming an Exeter dispatcher, she took an opportunity to become a full-time police officer in Plaistow in 2011.
She returned to the Exeter Police Department as a police officer in July of 2016, serving as the School Resource Officer at Exeter High School until 2022.
During her time as SRO, Police Chief Stephan Poulin said Sgt. Robicheau made many long-lasting relationships with students and staff.
Chief Poulin highlighted Robicheau’s achievements and spoke about the important role that sergeants play within the department.
“The role of a sergeant can be a very difficult one. It’s often difficult to make that transition from a patrol officer to the sergeant. The officers rely heavily on them for quick and reliable decisions and the chief and staff also rely heavily on sergeants to make the right and appropriate decisions,” he said.
Among her accomplishments, Sgt. Robicheau has earned multiple certifications, including becoming a defensive tactics instructor trained in Jiu Jitsu, a Rape Aggression Defense instructor, and an expandable baton instructor.
She’s also one of only a few women certified to ride a police motorcycle in New England and enjoys patrolling the streets of Exeter on the Police Department’s Harley-Davidson whenever the weather permits.
