10 interviewed to be police chief

Friday, September 3, 2010

BROOKLINE – Acting Police Chief Michael Kurland is among 15 candidates who have applied for the Brookline police chief position.

The Board of Selectmen and the seven-member police chief search committee met in a nonpublic session Monday, Aug. 30, for roughly 90 minutes, resumed the public portion of their meeting briefly and adjourned without discussing the search.

The search committee had been scheduled to present the board with the names of between three and five finalists for the post. Kurland has occupied the position since Thomas Goulden was fired without cause at the end of April.

The selection committee reviewed each resume and interviewed 10 candidates Aug. 4, 5 and 16, according to a prepared release from the board Tuesday morning. Names of the other candidates have not been released.

On Aug. 18, the committee voted on the candidates it would recommend to the Board of Selectmen, the release said.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, Selectman Clarence Farwell said the board has not set a deadline for hiring a new chief.

Farwell said that Sue Adams and John Carr, co-chairs of the search committee, would continue to work with the board, assisting with the next phase of the selection process.

The board’s prepared release provides details of the search, beginning with the appointment of the citizens committee and advertisements for the job placed in local newspapers, on the town’s website and other venues.

The release said data was also gathered from the Police Department, department heads and other town employees. In addition, a number of residents volunteered feedback, according to the release.

Selectmen said candidates were, and will be, judged on the basis of their experience with and knowledge of municipal police organizations and issues affecting rural towns, budgeting and “community-oriented” problem solving.

In addition, the board is looking for “strong leadership skills, “strong organizational skills” and “the ability to earn instant respect.”

In June, after the Board of Selectmen invited residents to participate in the selection process, 19 residents expressed interest in serving on the selection committee.

Selectmen whittled the list down to seven members, choosing a diverse group with expertise in human resources, law enforcement and community service.

The selection committee included Adams, a three-year resident who has more than 10 years’ experience in human resources; Carr, a two-year resident who is a retired Brockton, Mass., police officer and ran, unsuccessfully, for the Board of Selectmen; selectmen’s representative Jack Flanagan; Ann Somers, a 10-year resident who has been active on a police facilities committee and in other local groups; Bob Parodi, an attorney and former selectmen’s chairman who has lived in town for more than 20 years; Thomas Moran, a retired engineer and resident for about 60 years; and Laurie Perreault, an attorney and seven-year resident who comes from a family of police officers.

Hattie Bernstein can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 24, or hbernstein@cabinet.com.