Mayor Arrigo Initiates Police Chief Assessment Center; Seeks Resident Participation in Online Feedback Form
April 12, 2017
Announcement from Mayor Brian Arrigo:
"Since taking office last year, I have made it a top priority for the City of Revere to attract and hire the best and the brightest. One of the most important hirings in my administration is that of the next Police Chief.
This week, we advertised the position of Chief of Police for the City of Revere. We have a great opportunity in front of us to begin the transformation of public safety in our city.
My administration values public engagement and involvement. I therefore request your participation in this process.
First, I’ll lay out how the process will work, and explain my priorities as we hire Revere’s next Police Chief.
The Process
An independent outside consultant has been hired to run an Assessment Center. He will work with a number of police chiefs from around the Commonwealth to build a day of rigorous testing of candidates to help us select the new Chief of Police.
Assessment Centers are the accepted and common practice used by cities and towns to select their top public safety officials . This Assessment Center will be designed to ensure we have someone who has the expertise, values, and priorities that will continue to make Revere a safe and thriving city.
My Priorities for Our Next Chief
My top priority for a new Chief is summarized by whether that individual can bring 21st Century policing practices to the City of Revere. What exactly does that mean?
- It means building trust between the police and residents. Evidence is clear: When police act more as guardian than warrior, trust is built and tension decreases, making the job of the police easier.
- It means building a culture of accountability - using performance metrics, and focusing on outcomes.
- It means utilizing technology to improve the police force’s ability to do their job, and to improve communication with the public.
- It means a focus on community policing as a guiding philosophy: collaborating with residents to solve neighborhood issues.
- It means expanding training and education to maximize the ability of the force to respond to the ever-changing urban environment we live in.
- And last but not least, it emphasizes officer wellness and safety. We absolutely must build trust with our police officers by understanding and respecting the fact that every day they put their lives on the line for us. We must support them, enhance officer safety, and let them know we have their backs.
Those are my priorities for our next Chief.
I also want to hear what you have to say.
Your Role
I invite you to tell us what you are looking for in our next Chief.
- What are your desired traits in a new Chief?
- What are your priorities for the department?
- Where can the department improve?
- What do you think is working well now that you’d like to continue?
We’ll take the best of your thoughtful contributions and provide those to the Assessment Center consultants. We’ll also publish many of your thoughts on the City of Revere website and social media outlets.
I hope you will contribute.