Arlington Names Acting Police Chief

ARLINGTON, MA – The town has named its acting chief of police following Chief Frederick Ryan's retirement this month. Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine announced the appointment of Capt. Juliann Flaherty as acting chief Wednesday.

The appointment could last as long as a year while town officials move forward with selecting a permanent replacement for Ryan. Flaherty was selected from a pool of seven internal applicants, three captains and four lieutenants.

Flaherty has been a member of the Arlington Police Department for 24 years, including eight as a captain. She most recently commanded the department's Support Services and Logistics Division and previously served as Acting Chief for two months in 2017.

Flaherty has served as the department's liaison to the Rainbow Commission, Marijuana Study Committee and Surveillance Study Committee, and was also the department’s representative at Permanent Town Building Committee meetings during the renovation of police headquarters.

She has an MPA from Western New England College and a BS from Salem State College, and has completed many specialized trainings, including a recent program in Leadership in Homeland Security at the Harvard Kennedy School.

The selection committee included Chapdelaine, Deputy Town Manager Sandy Pooler and Director of Human Resources Caryn Malloy.

"[Flaherty's] breadth and depth of police experience, combined with her dedication to the community policing model that has been in place in Arlington for many years makes her a great fit for this role," Chapdelaine said in a statement. "I look forward to working with her in her new role as she strives to maintain the high standards of the department."

Image via Arlington Police Department