Matters ▸ Attachment
Police Deputy Chief — File 25-1488
Somerville, Massachusetts
Job Description
Position
Title:
Police Deputy Chief
Grade Level:
Department
Police
Date:
Reports to:
Chief of Police
FLSA Status:
Exempt
Statement of Duties
Under administrative direction, the Deputy Chief of Police is responsible for directing,
managing, supervising, and coordinating the activities and operations of the City’s Police
Department, including the enforcement of criminal and traffic laws, regulations, and ordinances
in order to preserve and protect life, health, and property in the City and related services and
activities; coordinating assigned activities with other divisions, departments, and outside
agencies; and providing highly responsible and complex administrative support to the Chief of
Police.
Essential Functions
The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various
type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not
exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the
position.
•
Assumes management responsibility for the day-to-day operation, services, and activities
of the Police Department in absence of the Chief of Police; manages and participates in
the development and implementation of goals, objectives, policies, and priorities for
assigned programs; recommends and administers policies and procedures.
•
Provides advice and assistance to the Chief of Police, the Mayor, other city Officials and
Department Heads on police operations, public safety, emergency management and
criminal intelligence as appropriate and necessary.
•
Monitors and evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery methods and
procedures; recommends, within departmental policy, appropriate service and staffing
levels.
•
Plans, directs, coordinates, and reviews the work plans for Police Department staff;
assigns work activities, projects, and programs; reviews and evaluates work products,
methods, and procedures; meets with staff to identify and resolve problems.
•
Selects, trains, motivates, and evaluates Police Department personnel; provides or
coordinates staff training; works with employees to correct deficiencies; implements
disciplinary and termination procedures.
•
Oversees and participates in the development and administration of the Division’s annual
budget; participates in the forecast of funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials, and
supplies; monitors and approves expenditures; implements cost saving adjustments.
•
Ensures that equipment, safety clothing, apparatus, and supplies are specified, purchased,
received, and distributed in an effective manner and consistent with State procurement
laws..
•
Responds to major incidents and ensures that the Incident Command procedures are
followed; assumes command as Incident Commander or other role as needed for the
situation.
Police-Police Deputy Chief
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6/14/2018
Somerville, Massachusetts
Job Description
• Serve as a member of a Unified Command System in case of regional or mutli-agency
incident.
• Develops and maintains lines of communication and cooperation with peers in
surrounding local, state, and federal agencies; coordinates joint operations with outside
agencies; mitigates conflicts with other departments or agencies.
• Provides staff assistance to the Chief of Police; conducts a variety of organizational
studies, investigations, and operational research; recommends modifications to police
programs, policies, and procedures as appropriate.
• Responds to and resolves more sensitive and complex citizen inquiries and complaints;
directs and conducts internal affairs investigations and provides for follow-up
investigation of citizen complaints as necessary.
• Serves as the Department’s primary point of contact/Public Information Officer.
• Applies for, manages and reports on grant funding, including Homeland Security and
State 911 grants.
• Manages the intake and distribution of criminal intelligence within and outside the
Department.
• Issues General Orders, Special Orders, Memos as needed or at the direction of the Chief
of Police. Provide operational strategies through directed patrols, patrol notices, targeted
hot spot policing and requests from the Board of Aldermen.
• Monitor and analyze Department data including crime trends, calls for service and citizen
complaints in order to adjust operational procedures.
• Manages the purchase of police vehicles and equipment, and monitors their maintenance.
• Serves as the Department Awards Coordinator, recognizing officers for outstanding
performance.
Supervision Required
Under administrative direction, the Deputy Chief, working from Department policies and goals
establishes short-range plans and objectives, department performance standards and assumes
direct accountability for results. Consults with supervisors where clarifications, interpretations,
or exceptions to municipal or Department policy may be required. The employee/official
exercises control in the development of departmental policies, goals, objectives and budgets. The
Deputy Chief is expected to resolve all conflicts which arise and coordinate with others as
necessary.
Supervisory Responsibility
Under administration direction, the Deputy Chief is accountable for the direction and success of
programs accomplished through others of a major operating division of the Police Department.
The employee is responsible for analyzing program objectives, determining the various work
operations needed to achieve them, estimating the financial and staff resources required,
allocating the available funds and staff, reporting periodically on the achievement and status of
program objectives; and recommending new goals. The Deputy Chief, working with the Chief of
Police, typically formulates or recommends program goals and develops plans for achieving
short and long-range objectives; determines organizational structure operating guidelines and
work operations; formulates, prepares and defends budget and manpower requests and accounts
for effective use of funds and staff provided; coordinates program efforts within the unit and
Police-Police Deputy Chief
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Somerville, Massachusetts
Job Description
with other departments; delegates authority to subordinate supervisors and holds them
responsible for the performance of their unit's work; reviews work in terms of accomplishment
of program objectives and progress reports, approves standards establishing quality and quantity
of work; and assists or oversees the personnel function, including recommending hiring, training
and disciplining of employees.
The Deputy Chief, through the command organizational structure, is responsible for the
supervision of all assigned employees of the Department. Work operations are subject to
frequent, abrupt, and unexpected changes in deadlines, volume of work, sudden emergencies,
and goals due to uncontrollable or unpredictable circumstances, e.g., police or EMS
emergencies.
Accountability
Duties include department level responsibility for technical processes, service delivery,
contribution to city-wide plans and objectives and fiscal responsibility for the department
including buildings, equipment and staffing utilization. Consequences of errors, missed deadlines
or poor judgment could severely jeopardize department operations, have adverse public
relations,could place the public or Department personnel at risk or have extensive financial and
legal repercussions to the City.
Judgment
Guidelines provide limited guidance for performing the work. They may be in the form of
administrative or organizational policies, general principles, legislation or directives that pertain
to a specific department or functional area. Extensive judgment and ingenuity are required to
develop new or adapt existing methods and approaches for accomplishing objectives or to deal
with new or unusual requirements within the limits of the guidelines or policies. The Deputy
Chief is recognized as the department’s authority in interpreting the guidelines, determining how
they should be applied, and in developing operating policies.
Complexity
The work consists of employing many different concepts, theories, principles, techniques and
practices relating to an administrative field. Assignments typically concern such matters as
studying trends in the field for application to the work; assessing services and recommending
improvements.
Nature and Purpose of Personal Contacts
Relationships include members of the Department, other law enforcement or government
agencies, the business community, the general public and with groups and/or individuals who
have conflicting opinions or objectives, diverse points of view or differences where skillful
negotiating and achieving compromise is required to secure support, concurrence and acceptance
or compliance; OR one-on-one relationships with a person who may be under severe stress,
where gaining a high degree of persuasion may be required to obtain the desired effect. The
Deputy Chief may represent to the public a functional area of the municipality on matters of
procedures or policy where perceptiveness is required to analyze circumstances in order to act
appropriately. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to
emergency situations or to attend evening meetings.
Police-Police Deputy Chief
3
Somerville, Massachusetts
Job Description
Confidentiality
The Deputy Chief has regular access at the departmental level to a wide variety of confidential
information, including personnel records, medical records, criminal investigations, intelligence
briefings, criminal history information and court records.
Recommended Minimum Qualifications:
Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice or related field with between
five (5) and seven (7) years of experience, three of which are in a management position; or any
equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required
knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Special Requirements:
Valid Massachusetts Motor Vehicle License
First Responder Certification
Certification as a Massachusetts police officer
Knowledge, Abilities and Skill
Knowledge: Extensive knowledge of the principles and practices of modern police
administration and law enforcement and emergency medical (EMS) methods and techniques;
extensive knowledge of the standards by which the quality of police service is evaluated and the
use of police records and their application to police administration; thorough knowledge of
statutes and ordinances relating to law enforcement; the ability to plan, organize, and direct the
work of a large number of subordinates performing varied operations connected with police and
emergency medical activities. Working knowledge of Constitutional Law and the criminal and
juvenile justice systems.
Abilities: Ability to supervise subordinates in a positive and effective manner and to delegate
authority efficiently; ability to establish and maintain harmonious and productive working
relationships with City officials, law enforcement officials, and the public; ability to plan, assign,
direct and review the work of subordinates and to direct large scale operations of personnel and
equipment making sound judgments under stressful life-threatening situations; ability to deal
with disgruntled members of the public in a diplomatic and effective manner. Ability to perform
the duties and functions of a police officer in emergency situations
Skill: Excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent supervisory and personal
computer software skills in support of department operations.
Work Environment
Work requires a high degree of individual tolerance to combinations of extremely unpleasant
elements or mental stress from constant conflicting urgent time and attention demands of the
utmost priority. The nature of the physical environment may be such that the employee's
personal well-being and/or safety are constantly compromised.
Police-Police Deputy Chief
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Somerville, Massachusetts
Job Description
Physical and Mental Requirements
Physical Skills: Work requires moderate intermittent physical strength and effort daily, such as,
lifting heavy objects (over 60 lbs. but less than 100 lbs.), carrying the object(s) and stacking
them or placing them in a vehicle or storage area. In addition, pulling, pushing, standing, or
walking for the full workday may also be involved. A great deal of physical effort may be
required in responding to emergency or life-threatening conditions. Travel, particularly during
adverse weather conditions and troublesome road conditions and at times during the evening is
required.
Motor Skills: Duties may involve close hand and eye coordination and physical dexterity.
Manipulation and motor control under conditions may require extreme accuracy may be critical.
The manual skills required are comparable to those which might be needed to safely operate
emergency vehicles at high rates of speed.
Visual Skills: Visual demands require routinely reading documents for general understanding,
reading documents for analytical purposes and reviewing non-written materials.
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