Town narrows candidates for police chief
Date: 11/4/2011
Oct. 31, 2011By Chris Maza
Reminder Assistant Editor
WILBRAHAM — With the deadline for applications for the town’s police chief position now expired, the town will begin the process of narrowing down the candidates that Town Administrator Robert Weitz will present to the Board of Selectmen.
Those interested in the position had a soft deadline of Oct. 24 to turn in their resumes to Barry L. Del Castilho from the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston, who assisted the town in the recruitment of candidates.
The use of the Collins Center’s services cost the town $12,500, but Weitz said the money was well spent.
“The response has been very good,” Weitz said. “We have about 60 to 70 applicants from all over the country.”
The town has a very small timeframe in which to complete the process as it hopes to have a new chief in place by Jan. 1, 2012.
Police Chief Allen Stratton announced his plans to retire at the end of the year to the Board of Selectmen in September. Dec. 31 will be his final day as the head of the Wilbraham Police Department. He has been in the position for 18 of his 31 years on the force.
Weitz told Reminder Publications that an internal interview panel, which will include Del Castilho, will be making recommendations to him regarding the best candidates.
The best three or four candidates will be asked to participate in a final interview, which will be open to the public at a Board of Selectmen’s meeting.
Weitz said that with applications coming in from throughout the country, a candidate’s proximity to Wilbraham would not have any weight in the decision whether or not to recommend him or her for the job.
“I have been charged with bringing the best possible candidates forward to the board,” he said.
While exact compensation for the new chief will be determined based on experience and qualifications, Stratton’s salary is approximately $100,000.
In addition to a new chief, the Police Department is also looking for two new officers.
The Collins Center is not involved in the staffing of those positions. The town’s human resources office is accepting applications for the two positions until Nov. 15.
