October 1, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer
Following his passing on Sept. 22, the select board paid tribute to Joachim-Ingo “Ski” Borowski, a former Hingham Police patrolman, sergeant, lieutenant, and police chief this week.
After working his way through the ranks, he was appointed to the position of chief in 1983, serving in that role until his retirement in 2000.
Borowski was considered to be “one of the best chiefs [by his fellow officers] and a dear and loyal friend to those who knew him,” Select Board member William Ramsey said.
Borowksi was born in Berlin, Germany, on September 5, 1935. After the end of World War II, he immigrated to the United States, joining the Marines during the Korean War. He was naturalized in Seoul, South Korea, in 1952. Borowski settled in Massachusetts soon therafter and was a Marine reservist at South Weymouth Naval Air Station.
“He was a valued member of our community and a true patriot,” Select Board Chair Joseph Fisher said.
Borowski continued to serve his fellow veterans with the ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) throughout his retirement.
Former select board member Paul Healey, a former Hingham police officer who served under Borowski and was present during the tribute, called Borowski “a hard act to follow.”
Healey said he always found him to be “incredibly dedicated to the mission of the Hingham Police Department. His discipline and dedication as a Marine [translated into] fine leadership of the HPD. He became chief during a very tumultuous time for the HPD and settled us down and got us on the right path. . . . He was committed to the community and country and was a great example for the younger officers.”
Fisher said he talked with current Hingham Police Chief David Jones, who was also hired by Borowski, and he also holds him in high regard.
The select board observed a moment of silence in Borowski’s memory.