CHESHIRE, Mass. — Town officials are seeking community input on the issues residents believe are facing the community and the leadership qualities they would like to see in the Police Department's next leader

 

The 10-question survey asks residents about the leadership qualities they want to see in a police chief, preferred professional experience and the top three priorities they believe the chief should focus on during their first year. All feedback is anonymous. 

 

The digital survey is here and there are hard copies available at the Community House.

 

It also asks residents about the types of community engagement they would like to see, policing strategies they believe are most important, and the department's current areas of success and opportunities for improvement.

 

The survey was deployed last week and has already received 50 responses; the town will be accepting responses until Monday, July 27.

 

The responses will be sent to the town's consulting company, which will review them and use the community input to shape assessment scenarios candidates will respond to during their interviews. 

 

The Select Board will also receive a report with the feedback to inform their decision-making.

 

The town received seven applicants for its police chief position but two did not meet the minimum qualifications outlined in the jobs posting, and one candidate withdrew from the process.

 

Following a comprehensive review of the remaining applicants, the final four advanced to the written essay phase, which evaluated each candidate's written communication skills and knowledge of police leadership, administration, and organizational management, and to the oral interviews.

 

The questions include topics specific to the town of Cheshire, while also evaluating each candidate's understanding of modern policing leadership principles and law enforcement best practices. 

 

Once these interviews are complete, two or three candidates will move on to a formal assessment center that will be completed during an open meeting — the final phase of the hiring process. 

 

The assessment will be done by a panel of experienced law enforcement subject matter experts using standardized evaluation processes, she said.  

 

The final stage will have a series of chief-level scenarios designed to evaluate each candidate's decision making, leadership, communication, and problem solving abilities.

 

The assessment center follows established professional guidelines and is designed to objectively measure the knowledge, skills, ability, and personal characteristics necessary to successfully serve as chief of police in Massachusetts and Cheshire.