Mayor appoints Campurciani as next Police Chief
Date: 11/21/2012
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD — At a press conference on Nov. 20, Mayor Gregory Neffinger announced Capt. Ronald Campurciani as Chief of Police.
The position has remained vacant since the spring, when Chief Thomas Burke retired. Since then, Campurciani has served as Interim Chief.
In regards to this selection, Neffinger stated, "I had a large number of references and recommendations from significant business leaders and [residents] in the town."
The announcement followed a positive recommendation for Campurciani from the Public Safety Commission (PSC) on Nov. 14, in a consensus of 3-2.
Charles Sullivan, Dennis LeFebvre and William Fennell represented the majority, while members Barry Hiney and Donna Santaniello voted for Capt. Daniel O'Brien. The third candidate, Capt. Daniel Spaulding received no vote for recommendation.
"All three candidates were very qualified and dedicated officers — they all bring their own strengths to the table," LeFebvre said. "Campurciani has the best overall grasp of the department."
Santaniello described O'Brien as an "innovative thinker," and added that the design of his business plan was based on the good of the entire department and the town.
Campurciani commented on the lengthy process. "I think everyone thought there would be a new chief by now," he said.
Fennell stated, "You can't ignore the fact that this fellow [Campurciani] scored the highest of the three candidates on what can only be described as a very comprehensive examination, a full-day examination administered by trained law enforcement officers — he received a 90, the number one test score."
The mayor complimented the PSC search process. Neffinger stated he was impressed by their thoroughness of the interviews conducted by the committee and by the test administered by the assessment center. He had the opportunity to get to know each of the candidates through his own 90-minute interviews.
"I spoke with all of the captains since the PSC's recommendation and have discussed many topics beyond those incorporated in their business plans [that were presented during the interview portion]," Neffinger commented, adding that he wants to incorporate elements of the business plans written by all three candidates into the department.
Neffinger said, "Now, we're going to be moving things forward and the officers are going to see that the mayor is behind them 100 percent and that we're really going to continue to evolve into a very modern department where people feel like it's a great place to work."
He added that he believed the new chief will "hopefully bring the police department in to the 21st century, moving the department forward in ways [they rank and file officers and] would like to see more training and better facilities."
