Police Chief Search Will Include Outside Candidates

July 23, 2010 by rpdesign

Town Manager Michael Milone has decided that a search for a new police chief won't be restricted to in-house candidates, as a nationwide hunt will be conducted in the coming months.
Current Chief Michael Cruess has said he will retire on Oct. 31, leaving Milone plenty of time to search for a replacement. While Cheshire police chiefs of recent memory have been promoted from in-house, the search for Cruess' replacement will include external candidates, Milone said, in an effort to view the most qualified individuals for the job.
"We have some extremely qualified people who I have the highest regard for and they will be viable candidates," Milone said. "But, to do justice to the process, I have to be assured that I look at the largest pool of candidates I can."
Cruess was promoted to Chief in March 2006 after the sudden death of his predecessor Christopher Loudon, who was promoted to Chief in 2005 following the death of Police Chief Gary Walberg.
The last two searches for a new chief came under very different, and very tragic circumstances, however, Town officials insist that Cruess is stepping away on his own terms, stating that no buy out or retirement incentive was in place.
Milone admitted that he has been asked about the two previous chief searches and why those were limited to internal candidates. His response is simple, and relates to the chaos in the department at the time.
"The last two times were unique and I hope we never have to go through that again," Milone said. "My feeling was that, considering what the department went through, to bring someone in from the outside would have been too traumatic. I thought it was the right thing to do."
While no official job notice has been posted about the expected opening, Milone believes that will change in the coming weeks. He also disclosed who would be sitting on the panel when candidates are brought in for interviews. Milone will look to include two current or former police chiefs from the area, along with former Town Councilors Matt Hall and David Orsini, who have both accepted roles on the panel. The panel is necessary in choosing the right candidate, Milone stated, because being the Chief of Police in Cheshire is more than just running a department. He said there are "a lot of intangible qualities" to the chief's position and the panel would help "accurately identify" what the Town is looking for.
"A critical part of that job is community orientation, a responsiveness to the people who live here," Milone said. "Who can better understand that and see that in a potential candidate than Matt and David. Each have lived in town most of their lives and both have chaired the Council."
Milone said he is aware of the concern some would have in hiring an outside candidate, as you might not know what you are getting. Hiring in house allows you to "have a good sense" of the person, and Milone said towns in this region have hired outside the department and "ended up in a very difficult situation." However, he hopes having long-time residents who know the inner workings of the Town and what is expected of a police chief in Cheshire, would alleviate some of those worries.
"I am aware of that fact and sensitive to that," Milone said. "I hope having them on the panel will, if not eliminate, then diminish those concerns."
Cruess' retirement, when it becomes official on Oct. 31, will be more than year after the Police Union issued a unanimous vote of no confidence in him on Oct. 2, 2009. The union voted “no confidence” due to Cruess' management style, outlined a host of issues it had with Cruess, and submitted the list to the Town.
A consultant was hired in the wake of the vote, but the union has insisted little to no changes have occurred over the last nine months.
Despite Cruess' intentions to retire, the Town is still poised to employ the services of another consultant to work with the department on other issues.
Cruess has remained mum on his retirement, except for a statement he released on June 23, where he said that, after 30 years with the department, it was time to leave.
"When I started this career, I planned on staying for 30 years. It is now 30 years and I just feel that it's time to leave," Cruess said in the statement. "Some officers choose to stay on the job long after they are vested but, with changes in the town and profession, I wanted to depart before I became a person who might not be tolerable of those changes."
Milone said he hopes to have a replacement hired before Nov. 1.