Somerville Code of Ordinances - Chapter 10 - Sections 10-17 & 10-18 — File 196117

Somerville Code of Ordinances: Chapter 10: Sec. 10-17. Selection of Police Chief; Qualifications: Upon removal of the position of chief of police from civil service status, the chief of police shall be selected by the mayor in accordance with the City Charter and shall have the following minimum qualifications, in addition to those developed by the assessment process provided in section 10-18(b): (a) The chief of police shall be a law enforcement professional with minimum of 15 years experience in federal, state, county, municipal or military policing, no less than five of which shall be in a progressively responsible law enforcement management position; (b) The chief of police shall have a master's degree or a four-year degree in criminal justice or a related field; (c) The requirements for formal education provided in (b) above can be waived for candidates with a minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible law enforcement management experience as long as they possess an associate's degree, or with a minimum of 20 years progressively responsible law enforcement experience as long as they possess a high school diploma; (d) Preference shall be given to candidates who have experience in a multi- lingual and multi-cultural urban law enforcement environment from municipalities with a population of 50,000 or more residents, and/or possess managerial experience, as defined in paragraph (a), in the command structure of the Somerville Police Department and/or are bilingual, with the second language reflecting the linguistic diversity of the citizens of Somerville, and/or possess a minimum rank of lieutenant or higher for a minimum of three years in a policing environment and/or who have successfully completed any of the nationally recognized police leadership programs, such as the Senior Management Institute for Police, FBI National Academy, and the Southern Police Institute;

(e) The chief of police shall have experience in financial management, budgeting, innovations in police operations, and information technology, as it pertains to law enforcement; (f) The chief of police shall have strong leadership and supervisory skills, excellent interpersonal skills to include labor relations, community relations, mediation and facilitation skills; and (g) The chief of police shall have excellent management and supervisory skills, and familiarity with state-of-the-art law enforcement practices, including staff development, training, community policing and use of crime data for deployment and decision-making. (Ord. No. 2005-16, 11-22-2005) Sec. 10-18. Selection of police chief; manner of appointment. (a) The candidates for chief of police shall be reviewed by a selection committee consisting of the following individuals: (1) The personnel director, who shall serve as the chair of the selection committee; (2) One member of the board of aldermen to be appointed by the president of the board of aldermen; (3) The director of the multicultural affairs commission; (4) Two members of the general public to be appointed by the president of the board of aldermen, with at least one of said members being a representative of the city's socioeconomic and racial and ethnic segments; (5) Two members of the general public to be appointed by the mayor with at least one of said members being a representative of the city's socioeconomic and racial and ethnic segments; and

(6) Two sworn officers of the Somerville Police Department, one of whom shall be a member of the union representing patrol officers, elected by that body, and one of whom shall be a member of the union representing superior officers, elected by that body. The mayor may appoint appropriate support personnel to facilitate the operations of the selection committee. (b) The mayor, in consultation with the selection committee and the procurement officer, shall select a qualified recruitment and assessment contractor to analyze candidates for chief of police. Such recruitment and assessment contractor shall be charged with development of selection criteria, after consultation with members of the public at community meetings, with an effort to invite representatives of diverse populations within the community; recruitment of qualified candidates; and administration of a selection process consisting of, without limitation, a written exam, an assessment center and a psychological evaluation. The community meetings required above shall provide interpretative services for the hearing-impaired and non-English speaking, as requested and otherwise shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. (c) The selection committee shall vote a list of no more than five and no less than three unranked qualified candidates for chief of police and shall submit such list to the mayor. All votes taken by the selection committee shall be by majority vote of those present. There shall be a public interview process conducted for the finalists by the selection committee prior to the appointment of the chief of police by the mayor. If the selection committee determines that there are fewer than three candidates for chief of police, the selection committee shall nonetheless send the names of the candidate(s) to the mayor. If the selection committee should submit to the mayor a list of fewer than three candidates for chief of police, or for any reason designated in writing, the mayor may choose to commence a new selection process, in the manner prescribed herein. (d) The mayor shall make the final appointment from the list, subject to confirmation of the final appointment by the board of aldermen. Prior to confirmation of the final appointment, the board of aldermen shall be provided with a copy of the contract negotiated with the candidate selected by the mayor, as well as a complete report of those candidates who applied and were deemed less qualified. The contract may not be subsequently amended without the approval of the board of aldermen. The length of such contract of chief of police shall be for a period of at least three years, but no longer than five years.

(e) Upon such time as the mayor shall become aware of a vacancy in the office of chief of police, the mayor shall within a reasonable period of time, but by no later than the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of aldermen, notify the board of aldermen that a vacancy has occurred. The mayor shall in a timely manner thereafter commence the process to fill the vacancy, in the manner prescribed herein. (Ord. No. 2005-16, 11-22-2005)