Bruce Lang Retires
From Police Career
By Sandy Vondrasek Cooch

As the Vermont State Police celebrates its 60th anniversary state-wide, Major Bruce Lang is noting his years in the force with a special event of his own. He’s retiring next month, "exactly" 30 years after he was hired.

Lang, who lives in Washington, served about half of those 30 years at what was once called "the Bethel barracks," now the Royalton station.

He was and remains "the youngest trooper the department’s ever taken in," hired when he was 18 years old.

Lang had decided that he wanted to become a trooper after attending a one-week "cadet’ program at the Police Academy in Pittsford. He was just a high school junior. Advised that he was too young to become a trooper, he enrolled in Lyndon State College, after high school graduation. A few weeks into his freshman year, however, he was notified his application had been accepted, and Lang was sent off for his academy training.

Lang’s first post was in Bethel, where he was stationed as a trooper for five years. After shorter stints elsewhere, first as a shift supervisor in Colchester and then a plainclothes detective in Burlington, he was promoted again, this time to lieutenant, and returned to the Route 107 barracks, where he served as barracks commander for 10 years.

In early 1998, Lt. Lang left Central Vermont to head up VSP’s criminal investigations in the northeastern corner of that state, supervising investigators at the Derby, St. Johnsbury, and Bradford barracks.

"I was promoted from there into headquarters as chief criminal investigator, with a captain’s rank," Lang told The Herald this week.

In that post, Lang was responsible for "all major crimes statewide," including special investigations and officer-related shootings.

Two years later in 2004 came another promotion, and Maj. Lang became commander of VSP’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation. For the past 15 months, Major Lang served as support services commander and executive officer for the entire department.

Lang said having that the shift to an administrative post provided him a valuable chance to "mellow down," and make the transition from high-profile criminal investigations, back into life as a "citizen, again."

Although he’s retiring at a young age—Lang is 48—he is not looking for a second career.

"Basically, I plan on enjoying time with my wife, doing a lot of outdoor activities—hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking—all of those good things. The fortunate part is that I don’t have to go out and find a job."

Lang also considers himself fortunate in his career. He repeatedly benefited from "being in the right place at the right time," and throughout his 30 years in the force, he said, he had the pleasure of working with "good people," including those within and outside of VSP.

"It’s been a great career," he said.

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