Search Begins For Newton Police Chief, Mayor Asks For Input

NEWTON, MA — The search has begun in Newton to find a permanent police chief, some six months after Interim Chief Howard Mintz was tapped to lead the department following the early, abrupt retirement of Chief David McDonald.

Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said as part of the search process, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and her office has started to interview community members to help identify the right person for the job. Fuller said in a statement her office is asking for the public's help in adding to the feedback from the community the association has already begun to gather, through an online survey.

The association has developed a candidate profile, based on survey answers, and that profile has already circulated within the Newton Police Department, throughout the Commonwealth, and across the country, according to the mayor.

"We continue to seek additional feedback," she said in a statement. "Your input will help us as we conduct our interviews and assess our candidates."

Feedback may be submitted through Feb. 5.

MacDonald gave his resignation in June after 27 years as a Newton police officer. The sudden resignation came as a surprise to many in the community.

MacDonald, who was 56 at the time, gave his notice as the city prepares to "reimagine" Newton's police department amid a rekindled racial justice movement, according to the mayor's office he said his successor would be better off starting the work, rather than coming in halfway.

The Newton Police Chief is among the highest paid city officials. The base salary would be between $200,000 and $215,000, according to the job listing.

MacDonald's department faced criticism in 2020, when an officer drew his weapon on a Black man walking down the street with his wife. The college athletic director said he was surrounded by multiple police and at least one officer drew his weapon. The police department apologized for that, saying a man wanted for murder was suspected of being in that same neighborhood. The suspect was also tall and Black and had facial hair and was arrested some five days later in the neighborhood. The mix up garnered headlines across the region and criticism from many residents.

The department under Mintz has also faced criticism.

In 2015, when Mintz was still chief, a Black Emerson professor disputed a Newton police officer's account of a speeding ticket, the ACLU got involved and later the ticket was vacated.

Read more:

• Mayor Taps Retired Police Chief After Police Chief Abruptly Retires
• Newton Police Chief David MacDonald To Step Down
• 10 Complaints Against Newton Police In 2020