The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the appointment of a new full-time police officer at their meeting at Abbot Hall Wednesday night.

Lifelong resident Timothy Morley, who returned to town this summer after serving in Afghanistan, will officially become the police department's newest full-time officer on March 12.

"Tim has been through all of the testing we need and he has completed all of the background checks," Police Chief Robert Picariello said. "He's done very well and I think he is going to be a tremendous addition to our department."

In October, Morley was appointed as a "permanent intermittent" officer and Picariello said moving up to permanent officer is simply the "next step in the process."

In October, Morley told board members he couldn't "picture a better town live in or to raise a family in," than Marblehead.

After attending St. John's Prep, Morley graduated from Norwich University and entered the Army National Guard. After working for a bank and a professional security company, Morley deployed to Afghanistan, where he served a year as an infantryman. He returned to town in July.