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Date: 8/11/2021
GRANBY – Interim chief of the Granby Police Department Kevin O’Grady was appointed as the permanent chief of police during the Selectboard’s Aug. 4 meeting.
O’Grady was one of two candidates interviewed by the Selectboard during the meeting for the position of permanent police chief, a topic that had been the subject of many discussions during Selectboard meetings. Most recently, during the Aug. 2 meeting, board members addressed a letter that had been submitted by the search committee formed to bring forward candidates for the position.
Board member Glen Sexton addressed the letter, which had stated a sixth candidate had declined to be interviewed for the position after “hearing a Selectboard member had been in the police station, stating that the town would be hiring from within the department and not to worry as they were being covered.”
Sexton said, speaking for himself, that “at no time was I in the Police Department making any type of comments in regards to that.” Chair of the Selectboard Jennifer Silva said she was the member in question to which the letter was referring.
“I’m pretty sure, if anybody is wondering, the Selectboard member in question, that would be me. It’s no secret that I’ve supported Kevin [O’Grady], however my concern really would be if someone declined an interview because one member of the Selectboard has an internal position’s back, I’d be more concerned about their confidence level, which I’m not really sure would be benefiting us anyway,” she said. “I’m one vote out of three votes, so they have two others, so I may have preference for one candidate, but that doesn’t mean that candidate is going to get the position because I could clearly be outvoted. So this candidate is using that as an excuse to not show up for his interview?”
She went on to again express her support of O’Grady. “I do support Kevin and I have since I spoke to him, because it is no secret that I did not support him in the beginning either,” she said. “So unless this next candidate knocks my socks off, which remains to be seen.”
During the evening of the interviews, O’Grady was interviewed by the Selectboard first. Selectboard member Richard Beaulieu began the interview by asking about the current police reform bill and modern policing. O’Grady said the task force who had created the current reform bill, which was signed into law in December 2020, forced the department to “jump right into it.” He said the department “had to deal with our use of force policy as well as our crowd control policy.”
“The use of force had to add a ban on chokeholds, it had to add de-escalation tactics when at all feasible, that has to be documented whether you do it or you don’t do it,” he said. O’Grady added that also added to the department’s use of force policy was officer’s “duty to intervene” should that ever be necessary. He said the department was forced to get credentialed under an order by former President Donald Trump, which they had received in June. Now, he said, officers were working to get recertified, including working to get a 200-hour certification through the Bridge Academy.
When asked about his experience in developing the Police Department’s budget, he said he had been involved with the budget creation process with former Chief Alan Wishart for several years.
“When he announced his retirement in September, he really gave the reins over to me. I was paying the bills, I was doing the payroll, I was managing it through the rest of the year,” he said. O’Grady added the fiscal year 22 (FY22) budget was “one that I designed” in collaboration with Wishart. “I built this entire budget,” he said, adding he’d also had experience with writing, applying for and maintaining grants over the years.
Sexton asked him what the biggest challenge he could foresee for the department, to which O’Grady replied “the change.” He went on to explain that “usually you hear that 911 ring and you’re ready to start running out the door, but that’s not my job right now.” He said Wishart had allowed him to “really run the department in the last few months,” which he believed helped prepare him. When asked about his background, he said he’d been in town for 25 years.
“People know me, I think it’s great being in a small town like this. You meet community members all the time, it’s a very positive attitude with everyone you speak with,” he said. O’Grady said he’d lived in town for 27 years and worked in town for about 25, and he’d raised his family in town.
Silva asked him about his management style with respect to several positions in the community such as the town manager, Selectboard, employees and the community. O’Grady said he was “hands on, available to everybody.” He said, “I don’t believe in micro-managing, but there’s certain things when it comes to the employees we have to do to protect people’s rights.” He went on to say he felt he had a “good working relationship” with Town Manager Chris Martin as they’d worked together for decades. He also said he attended Selectboard meetings frequently to know what was taking place in town. He said he had an “open door” policy and “there is no hiding when residents come looking for you.”
“It’s just being available to people, taking the time to talk to them when you’re out,” he said. When asked about areas he would identify and improve during his first six months as chief, he said he would “love to see all this COVID stuff gone.” He addressed various community relationships the department had with organizations in town and hoped to be able to continue to have a presence in the community to provide educational opportunities for the public.
“I want to get those up and back running as soon as possible,” he said. Silva then went on to ask him about the Strong Chief Law and his understanding of the law. O’Grady said this meant the chief was put in charge of operations from day to day, personnel and equipment. However, he said the Selectboard was the “hiring and firing authority.” He said while the chief was in charge of writing policies, they must go through and be approved by the Selectboard.
O’Grady ended his interview by saying he’d enjoyed his time as interim chief and hoped to have the opportunity to serve as the permanent chief. “It’s been wonderful, it’s a growing experience,” he said.
The next candidate, Athol resident and lieutenant for the Gardner Police Department Nicholas Maroni, was then interviewed and was asked the same questions as O’Grady, beginning with information about the current police reform bill. Maroni said all officers would be getting certified, “which is something Massachusetts police chiefs have been pushing for over the years.” He added that there would also be a de-certifying program, so if officers were ever de-certified they would be unable to go to another community or state and become an officer. He added that while it was “still on the table” the state was “looking to do away with qualified immunity.”
“From my point of view, I hope that doesn’t happen. I think a lot of people are misinformed of what qualified immunity means. It does not give officers carte blanche to do whatever they want. It protects them when they’re doing their job and found to be doing it within policy and within law,” he said.
He said a big aspect to “21st century policing” was community outreach, which he said was done frequently in Gardner. “We use it to bridge the gap between the police and the community,” he said.
When asked about his experience developing a police department budget, Maroni said he did a lot of grant writing for his current department. Grants such as the one he worked on most recently, he explained, required budgeting, line items, employee salaries and other costs. He said he was “very familiar” with budget items such as cruiser maintenance, salaries and unexpected costs.
Sexton then asked Maroni about any challenges he could foresee, should he be selected as the chief of police. Maroni said the biggest challenge he anticipated was “being an outsider” coming into the town. “Building that rapport and earning the trust of the citizens. I had to do the same in Gardner and the easiest way I made the challenge approach was just to be me and visible, and be in the community,” he said. Maroni added that he, too, had an open door policy and wanted people to feel comfortable approaching him.
“It’s not just a job, I’m not just here to collect the paycheck, I am invested in the community I’m working in,” he said.
Maroni went on to outline some of his most recent positive accomplishments such as creating and facilitating a week-long junior police academy, assisting in the Gardner Police Department’s National Night Out and hosting a pool party with the police to promote water safety.
When asked about his management style with regard to the town administrator, Selectboard, employees and the community, he said he felt he had a “democratic” approach and was very “open.” Maroni said he had a close relationship with the mayor of Gardner and City Council members in the city “have my phone number and know how to get ahold of me.” He said, “I try to work with everybody and better the community.” He added that he’d had some great leaders in the past, which he believed had helped to mold him.
“My management style is transparent, just be yourself and give the officers what they expect of you and be a genuine person,” he said.
He was then asked to identify areas which he would focus on and what he would prioritize in the first six months. Maroni said one aspect of the town that had drawn him to the position was the community involvement the department had. “One of the programs, the Seniors and Law Enforcement Together program, I thought that was a really cool idea, I’ve never seen anything like that. That would be a program I’d want to continue and expand on that a little more,” he said. Maroni went on to say he’d never seen the trick-or-treating events like Granby hosts for children in the fall and hoped to continue that program as well.
He said he hoped to continue a Junior Cadet program, much like he ran in Gardner, in the summer. “In the first six months getting out there and exploding myself to the community, just giving people an opportunity to see me, and listening to what their needs are,” he said.
Finally, he was asked about the Strong Chief Law. He said his understanding of the law was that the chief “held a lot of power” with regard to hiring and discipline. He went on to offer recent awards that were not on his resume, including an officer of the year award that he had received and had been voted on by his peers. “It was quite an honor,” he said.
In his final statements in the interview, he asked the Selectboard what they thought his biggest challenge would be coming into the community. Silva said she felt like his answer prior was reflective of how she felt, that he was an “outsider” who would need to build rapport with residents.
Maroni said he would be excited to work with and for the department as he’d “never heard anything negative come out of Granby.” He said, “That’s always a plus in my book, and your officers should be proud of that as well.”
After a brief recess, the Selectboard reconvened. Sexton said he felt they had “two great candidates” for the position and either one would bring a vast amount of knowledge and experience. While all three members of the board touted how great both candidates were, Beaulieu said he felt as though one candidate had slightly more knowledge in some areas and Silva agreed.
Sexton said while both candidates were qualified, O’Grady knew the town, knew the department and had been a police officer with the department for several years. “To me that separates them and it may not be a fair separation because one person and the other person can’t,” he said. However, he said he felt that O’Grady was the right person for the job. Silva said she had made it very clear that she supported hiring O’Grady.
“I made it very clear I supported Kevin and unless someone else knocked my socks off, and that didn’t happen,” she said, adding that when Wishart had announced his retirement she had a conversation with O’Grady.
“It was an honest conversation and I wasn’t sure he’d be the right person for the job, and he has completely stepped up and I think done everything seamlessly,” she said. Beaulieu agreed and said he felt as though O’Grady had slightly more knowledge about the use of force policy and some other items.
“He’s been running the department for the last year and a half along Chief Wishart,” he said. Ultimately, the board agreed unanimously to appoint O’Grady as Granby’s next chief of police.