Brookline's Search For New Police Chief To Include Public Input

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline is getting ready to launch its search for a new police chief and will consider input from the public as part of the decision, said Town Administrator Mel Kleckner at the August 3 Select Board meeting.

Kleckner, who is responsible for recruiting and recommending police chief candidates to the Select Board under the Town Administrator Act, first announced the search last month. The announcement came one year after Chief Andrew Lipson abruptly stepped down and was temporarily replaced by Superintendent Mark Morgan.

As the town enters the early stages of its police chief search, Kleckner said his current focus is to hire a consultant to assist with the job marketing and recruitment process and get feedback from the community, specifically in relation to recent events related to the Black Lives Matter movement.

"It's my intent to retain a nationally-based consultant and one that has a voice in the ongoing discussion in our country about policing and race in particular," said Kleckner. "I think that this is something we can't divorce ourselves from and quite frankly the potential pool of candidates could be outside of our region."

"Most importantly, this consultant will be engaging itself with the community," he continued. "It would be impossible for us to go forward with the hiring process without understanding what the community is looking for in its police chief."

In addition to hiring a consultant, Kleckner said he plans to create an evaluation panel that includes five to seven community members and a Select Board member to advise him and sit in on some of the early interviews.

"I take that responsibility very seriously, I think you know that, but I also understand that I don't speak for the community altogether and I need some input and advice," he said.

The Select Board members weighed in on what they think the town needs in a new police chief, with several agreeing that the chosen candidate needs to be innovative and embrace the town's goal of becoming more diverse, inclusive, and modernized.

"I think that having a really clear idea of what it is we as a town want for this role will help us make sure we’re marketing the town accurately to the kind of person we want to come and sit in this role and frankly make change," said Select Board member Miriam Aschkenasy.

"I think that whoever we bring in needs to be innovative, needs to have this understanding that the status quo is no longer what we're looking for," she continued.

Kleckner said he plans to hire a consultant within three to four weeks and will continue to provide updates on the search process at future Select Board meetings.