Maturo: Search Begins for New East Haven Police Chief

Update at 2:25 p.m. 

East Haven Interim Police Chief was out of the office and unable to be reached for comment about the town's search for a new, permanent head of the .

New Haven Register reporter Jennifer Swift, however, posted via her Twitter account earlier this afternoon that Larrabee "said he 'would like to think' that he will be considered a candidate for Chief."

The interim chief is expected back in to his office first thing tomorrow morning — and East Haven Patch will look to follow up and post an update on the town's search and Larrabee's possible candidacy then.

Original Post (Thursday at 1:40 p.m.)

The following is a press release submitted by the East Haven Mayor's Office.

East Haven . announced today that the Town of East Haven has begun its search — 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 . 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 , 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 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 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.”