East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. announced today that the town has begun its search for a new police chief – an exhaustive search which is planned to run for 22 weeks and which hopes to draw candidates nationwide.

Maturo explained, “This search represents another step forward for the Town of East Haven. It is geared toward attracting and finding the best candidates possible and is going to be conducted nationwide. Most importantly, the search plan calls for local community input at all critical stages.”

The entire search process includes development of an updated job description,

aggressive advertising, telephone and in-person interviews, a host of written and oral testing, and most importantly, heavy community involvement. Further, the search is being undertaken with the incorporation of several recommendations of the Department of Justice, which reviewed and approved the draft process in April.

Maturo explained, “This process is going to be collaborative. It is designed so that every member of our great community can have a say in the process. Residents will have input in crafting an updated job description for the position. Additionally, at the recommendation of the Department of Justice, an entire stage of interviewing is dedicated solely to interviewing by an independent panel of members of the community.

The process also allows the Town to host a Town Hall meeting so that any member of the public may submit questions to finalist candidates.”

The search is to be conducted by Strategic Policy Partnership Consultant Services, a Massachusetts-based firm which provides managerial assistance to Federal, state, and local governments. The firm has conducted police chief searches in the past in Milwaukee, WI, Oakland, CA, and Hartford, CT. Additionally, the firm has provided a host of managerial auditing services for police departments nationwide for both large cities and small towns.

Maturo concluded, “Our Town and Police Department have made enormous strides forward in recent months. We’ve hired certified, veteran officers from neighboring Towns to fill our ranks, helping to protect our residents and saving the Town thousands of dollars in training costs. We’ve undertaken review and revision of the Department’s policies, re-started important youth programs like ‘DARE,’ and increased community outreach to businesses and residents. This search represents another positive step forward. I know that the transparency of the search and the level of community involvement contemplated will inspire confidence in both the search process and in the final candidate.”