The town is advertising a job opening for the position of police chief in seeking a person to replace Michael Kehoe, who announced last month that he would retire as police chief in January.

This week, the town posted a notice of the job opening at the town clerk’s office and also on the Human Resources section of the town’s website.

The town also posted the notice on the website of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) and on the website of the state’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC). The listings on those two websites are expected to receive wide readership in the law enforcement community.

On June 2, Chief Kehoe, 60, told Police Commission members that he plans to retire on January 6, 2016. He joined the police department in 1978. He has served as chief since 2001.

Police Commission Chairman Paul Mangiafico said this week that applications for the chief’s position will be accepted until the end of business on August 14.

On June 10, the five-member Police Commission appointed itself as an “executive-level personnel search committee” for a new police chief. That committee also will include First Selectman Pat Llodra, who is an ex-officio member of the Police Commission in her role as the head of the local government.

Mr Mangiafico explained that the six search panel members will be discussing the qualifications of the candidates for the post.

The five Police Commission members who are on the six-member search panel will seek Mrs Llodra’s advice in terms of hiring a new chief, but only the five Police Commission members will be eligible to make the hiring decision, Mr Mangiafico said.

The Police Commission appoints, promotes, suspends, and removes members of the police department, as needed. The elected agency also creates police department policies and serves as the local traffic authority.

Mr Mangiafico said the Police Commission wants to hire a person to replace Chief Kehoe before he retires in six months.

“We want [to hire] someone who is highly qualified,” Mr Mangiafico said. “We will go through the list [of job candidates] and see what develops,” he said.

Job Requirements

In the notice listing the job opening, the town informs applicants that the chief reports to an elected five-member Board of Police Commissioners, and also reports to the first selectman concerning daily responsibilities.

According to the listing, candidates for the position should have extensive experience in municipal staffing, short- and long-term planning, budgeting, personnel management, police labor negotiations, and community interactions.

The chief is the executive head of the department and is responsible for all management functions of that agency including, but not limited to, developing policies and procedures, preparation of reports, personnel development, maintaining professional standards for sworn officers, attending municipal meetings as required, and interacting with the public, it adds.

The chief maintains a close and professional relationship with the first selectman, town boards and commissions, as needed, and the public at large, according to the listing.

Qualified candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from a college or accredited university in the fields of public administration, business administration, criminal justice, criminology, law enforcement, or a suitably related field. Holding a master’s degree in related areas is highly recommended.

Candidates also must have at least 15 years of full-time professional law enforcement experience, of which at least seven years was as a senior police commander, it states.

The FBI National Academy or equivalent advanced training is desired. Town residency after appointment is strongly preferred.

Candidates must possess a Class D driver’s license and must be approved for access to criminal information computer databases.

Also, certification by Connecticut’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council is required.

The annual salary range for the job is $109,000 to $116,000, with fringe benefits provided. The job starts on January 7, 2016.

As part of their submission, job candidates must submit resumes, a cover letter explaining why they should be selected as the police chief, and an essay describing their suitability to serve as police chief.

Because vacancies for the position of police chief occur relatively rarely at municipal police departments, it is expected that advertisements for filling the vacancy will attract many applications.

Since it was organized as a municipal law enforcement agency in 1971, the Newtown Police Department has had only four police chiefs, including Chief Kehoe.