SOUTHWICK — After the Select Board adopted the job description it will use to vet candidates to replace retiring Police Chief Robert Landis, the board on Jan. 8 decided against seeking help choosing the next chief, despite board member Jason Perron’s request to use an “oral board” of outside professionals.
“None of us here are experts,” Perron said, who has proposed having the candidates seeking to replace Landis appear in front of an “oral board” to answer questions developed by an
Select Board member Diane Gale had said she had spent time researching, and listening to, interviews of prospective police chief candidates and believed the questions posed by an expert outside panel during an oral board would essentially be the same questions she would ask. She also said she would like to see the faces of the candidates while they answer questions directly from Select Board members.
Perron had submitted a draft proposal from Commonwealth Police Legacy Inc., which provides the service Perron would like used. He said using an outside consultant would “give us an unbiased expert assessment” of the candidates.
“We’re investing in that person … I think it’s a small price to pay to give us some background,” Perron. CPL quoted a price of about $3,000 for the oral board.
Select Board Chair Douglas Moglin, who was largely silent during the last meeting when Gale was pressing Perron on the need for outside assistance, said he had stayed quiet during the debate because he “wanted to hear this out.”
“I’m with Diane on this,” he said. “We’ve gone through this [hiring] process and I think we’re going to be in the best position to make this determination. I just don’t see what you’re going to get quantitatively that’s going to be influential to the overall process.”
He had said, however, that if none of the internal candidates met the board’s expectations, then it would be appropriate to seek outside assistance to find a candidate.
Moglin said the town was in good shape in finding a police chief that meets the board’s expectations.
“I don’t see needing to go through the process or expense,” Moglin said.
Board members also discussed several of the requirements they were looking for in a candidate. After a lengthy discussion, they agreed not to impose a residency requirement, but said they would prefer a candidate who lives within 10 miles of town limits. Gale and Perron also agreed to Moglin’s proposal that a college degree would be preferred but not required.
The board authorized Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart to prepare the job posting with the recommendations the board made and post the position within the next week.
To apply for the position, the candidates must be currently serving in the town’s Police Department, meet the qualifications of the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission and be licensed to carry a firearm.
Landis will retire on June 30 after a 30-year career in law enforcement.
