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City looks to hiring new police

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



CHICOPEE Retirements and the possibility of some Chicopee police officers returning to their former jobs in Springfield led to a first round of interviews to find a new group of officers for the Chicopee Police department.

Mayor Michael Bissonnette explained there were three to five retirements anticipated this year and while in the process to find candidates to fill those positions, Springfield Police Commissioner Edward Flynn announced that 23 previously laid-off officers would be re-hired.

Some of those Springfield officers found positions at the Chicopee Police Department and will have to make a decision whether or not to return to their former jobs.

Chicopee has hired 17 former Springfield officers over the past ten years, Bissonnette said. The city has benefited from having experienced officers and from not having to pay for Police Academy training.

Bissonnette said he and Police Chief John Ferrera are unsure how many former Springfield officers might switch back, but estimated the number at four or five.

The deadline for officers to accept returning to Springfield was Friday.

To prepare the city for losing police officers, the hiring process has begun with the background checks and interviews of 19 candidates last week.

Bissonnette said that priority has been given to whether or not a candidate is a Chicopee resident and a military veteran. He said those candidates with a passing score on the civil service exam "go to the top of the list."

Out of the 19 candidates interviewed, Bissonnette said nine would be selected to move on to the next phase.

He expected that a final decision would be made at the end of the month. The selected candidates will attend the Police Academy class beginning in March and would be in service this summer.