Tim Bilodeau’s very first day on the job with campus police at the University of Vermont – October 29, 1987 – saw him respond to a protest unfolding in the executive wing of the Waterman Building.

“I was fascinated by it,” Bilodeau said. “I remember thinking, ‘this is the real thing. People are expressing themselves.’

“I grew up with the idea that activism has made a lot of positive impact on the United States and change that has occurred here – but I can’t say I was expecting it on Day One of this job.”

Thirty-eight years later, Bilodeau is set to retire from his position as chief of UVM Police Services. A recipient of the 2025 President’s Our Common Ground Staff Award, Bilodeau has put together a distinguished career of exemplary service to UVM and its campus community.

“Chief Bilodeau’s thoughtful and compassionate approach to policing the campus community and beyond, his unwavering dedication, leadership, and friendship, and his tireless efforts in every position or assignment he has held—nearly every position within police services—are unparalleled,” said Michael Schirling, chief safety and compliance officer at UVM.

Protecting UVM’s voices

Beginning with that first-day activism in Waterman, free expression has been a recurring theme in Bilodeau’s work at UVM.

“I’ve been lucky to be involved with a lot of people under the flag of activism, many times in positive ways,” Bilodeau said, reflecting on the way such experiences were shaped by – and helped shape – experiences and perspectives within police services. “Whether you’re the chief or someone in another position, you’re helping create a culture around the value of people freely expressing themselves. That’s important.”

In Bilodeau’s early days with the force, UVM police services was certified through the Burlington Police Department. Legislation to officially make it its own full-time law enforcement agency was first passed in 1989 and took effect in 1992.

Fast forward to 2025, and Bilodeau and Deputy Chief Jim Phelps – who will take over leadership of the department when Bilodeau retires on January 31 – are the last two officers left from that transition to a proper campus PD.

“Jim and I have been through a lot together,” Bilodeau said, noting how he and Phelps were both detectives during the mid-90s when police work looked much more like the old cop shows from TV than the high-tech law enforcement of today. “There was one homicide I remember working, where we were going door-to-door with photos hoping to generate leads. That old-fashioned gumshoe investigative process was ingrained in both of us.”

The through-line of free expression has also changed during Bilodeau’s nearly 40 years on the force. He recalled a “very intense” period of activism in 1991 in which pressure built until it fueled a building takeover and incidents of arson.

Such challenging circumstances required a cool head that has served Bilodeau well throughout his career in law enforcement, not only in instances of activism but in other volatile moments as well.

“The consistency of professionalism in how we respond always goes a long way,” he said. “A measured police response – based on establishing and maintaining dialog – is what allows that First Amendment expression to occur and helps with the positive resolution of a lot of situations.”

True Detective

As adept as he is at interacting directly with people during evolving situations, Bilodeau is equally skilled at piecing together clues and evidence toward the solution to crimes.

“My career was centered around the investigative component of police work for nearly a decade,” he said. “I enjoy the complexity, the ability to put the puzzle together, seeing the weight of evidence come together and determining whether something did or didn’t happen.”

No matter how satisfying he finds detective work, Bilodeau isn’t about to retire to an easy chair to watch reruns of Columbo. He is an active outdoor sports enthusiast who enjoys trail sports and can often be found moving at speed through networks at places such as Bolton Valley Resort.

“I’ve developed a skill set for mountain biking or snowboarding by adding incremental risk all the time,” he says with a chuckle. “There’s a push and a discipline to get yourself out there that I really enjoy.”

He and his wife, Deb, have three children and three grandchildren in the area who also contribute to his active lifestyle. His two daughters are both CrossFit coaches and – no big surprise – Bilodeau himself takes part in the rigorous fitness activity up to six times a week.

“Tim is indeed a man of action,” Schirling said. “His innumerable outdoor hobbies will inevitably fit the oft-repeated description of retirement – that it brings about a time with even more things to do than when you were working full time.”

Whether engaging demonstrators on the front lines of a protest, piecing together clues to an investigation, or carving through powder on his snowboard, Tim Bilodeau truly brings to life the values of the institution he has so proudly served since 1987.

“To look at Our Common Ground points of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice, and responsibility," Phelps wrote in Bilodeau’s nomination letter, "is to describe who Tim Bilodeau is as a leader, a father, and a friend."