Chief Scott P. Livingstone announced the retirement of Lieutenant David R. Knightly, Jr. effective August 26, 2020, after 35 years of service to the police department and the town of Amherst.
David R. Knightly, Jr., a native of Amherst, joined the Amherst Police Department as a community service officer in 1985. He was appointed as a special police officer in 1987. On January 1, 1989, he was appointed as a patrol officer and was assigned patrol duties until his reassignment to the detective bureau in 1997. Knightly was promoted to the rank of sergeant on April 3, 2000, and was assigned as a patrol supervisor. In 2010, he was reassigned as a supervisor in the detective bureau. Knightly was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on December 29, 2014, and was assigned as an operations supervisor.
Lieutenant Knightly was an original member of the bike patrol unit and developed both the department’s Search and Rescue Unit and Warrant Entry Team. During his tenure, he was a Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor and for over ten years a Field Training Supervisor for the department. Lieutenant Knightly also worked closely with members of the Amherst School Department updating their active threat response. In addition, he was the coordinator for two community policing programs the Amherst Citizen Police Academy and Youth Fishing Derby. Knightly in 1998 was awarded a Letter of Commendation from members of the Amherst Police Department recognizing his perseverance and professionalism throughout the investigation into the case of a man who was savagely and repeatedly beaten. His detailed investigation into this crime resulted in the prosecution of four defendants who were all found guilty of a variety of crimes in Superior Court.
Knightly received his diploma from Amherst Regional High School in 1984 and attended Bridgton Academy in Maine. He received his associate’s degree in criminal justice from Holyoke Community College and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Knightly graduated from the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Academy in Agawam, a member of the 13th Municipal Police Officers Class, in May of 1989.
David R. Knightly, Jr. is the son of David Sr. and Sandy Knightly of Amherst, Massachusetts. He resides in Hadley with his wife Audra and has three sons, Timothy, Patrick and Edward.