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Photo Pru Sowers
Jeff Jaran, police chief in Bow, N.H. |
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Photo Pru Sowers
Walter Warot, a police captain in Woonsocket, R.I. |
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The final four
Selectmen interview police chief candidates this week
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN — Town Manager Sharon Lynn is hopeful that she’ll have her recommendation for who the new chief of police should be by the end of this week.
Two of the four final candidates for chief were interviewed by the board of selectmen Tuesday. The remaining two candidates were scheduled to be interviewed on Wednesday.
“I’d like to make my recommendation to the board of selectmen by the end of the week, pending a background check and everything else we need to do,” with the new chief taking over before the summer season begins, she said.
First up on Tuesday was Jeff Jaran, currently the police chief in Bow, N.H., a town of approximately 10,000. Jaran has been chief in Bow for four years. Prior to that, he was chief of the Sandwich, N.H., police department for three years and worked for the previous 10 years for the New Hampshire attorney general’s drug task force. He has been in law enforcement, including as a patrolman in Laconia, N.H., for 20 years.
Jaran said he thought the biggest challenges he would face in Provincetown included dealing with competing priorities from the disparate groups that live and visit here, including business owners, year-round residents, vacationers and second home owners. Those groups may have different ideas about the type of policing they want to see, Jaran said.
He also said his experience dealing with drug problems, first on the attorney general’s task force and then with the spill-over problems in Bow caused by a large drug problem in nearby towns, would aid him here.
“I understand there is a drug problem,” he said about Provincetown. “That’s something that should and needs to be addressed.”
Jaran said he was particularly proud of how he stabilized the Bow Police Dept. When he was hired as chief, every officer on the force had their resume out looking for jobs elsewhere, he said.
“In a short period of time, I was able to change a lot of things. Everyone who had their resume out is still with the force today,” he said.
Jaran then asked the selectmen what they were looking for in their new police chief. Selectman Austin Knight cited community policing as one of his priorities. Selectman Michele Couture brought up the diversity of the different people and communities in town.
“We need a chief to interface with all the groups and treat them with respect,” she said.
Next up was Walter Warot, a captain on the Woonsocket, R.I. police force who has spent his entire career with that police department. He is currently commanding officer of the detective division and previously was commanding officer of the operations and uniform patrol divisions. He also spent seven years in the Woonsocket narcotics unit.
The biggest law enforcement problems in Woonsocket, a working class town of approximately 45,000, include narcotics, juvenile drinking and disorderly students. Warot said he thought the biggest challenge he would face in Provincetown would be getting his arms around the diverse communities that live and visit here. He said he would meet with the various groups to learn their concerns.
“Everyone’s voice should be heard,” he told selectmen. “We are ultimately here to serve the community.”
Selectman Lynne Davies diverged from the list of prepared questions to ask Warot how he would handle the needs of the large gay population that lives or comes to Provincetown. Warot responded that he has personally felt the sting of discrimination because he is a first-generation Polish immigrant to the U.S.
“I am sensitive to those issues,” he said, explaining that he has vacationed on Cape Cod for 20 years and is aware of the diversity of the community. “People can express themselves openly and honestly. That’s what I was taught and that’s what I’ve instilled in my children.”
The public was invited to attend the interviews but was not allowed to ask questions.
The four candidates, two men and two women, including local police Sgt. Carrie Lopes, are also slated to meet with representatives from the local police union. Officer Michael Carr, president of the local chapter of the New England Police Benevolent Association, said the union is having a more informal dialogue with all the candidates, including asking them to outline a five-year plan and how they would deal with illegal drug usage in Provincetown.
The last two candidates to be interviewed include Sgt. Lopes, currently a Provincetown police officer, and Ann Marie Connell, a department supervisor in the New York City Police Dept. who is currently in charge of a 200-person detective squad
“It’s a terrific pool of candidates. I’m very pleased,” said Steve Unsworth, a principal with BadgeQuest, a public safety consulting group assisting Lynn with the chief selection process.
Eighty-five candidates initially applied for the chief position. Lynn and Unsworth culled that to 33, who were asked to submit a more detailed application.
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Apr 24th, 2008