MARBLEHEAD — The Board of Selectmen has chosen three finalists to be the town’s new police chief when current Chief Robert Picariello retires in July.
The three finalists are Shumeane Benford, Dennis King and Scott Richards.
“I would like to thank the Police Chief Screening Committee for their work evaluating candidates for this incredibly important position,” said Town Administrator Jason Silva in a statement. “We are committed to conducting a thorough and transparent selection process that will result in the appointment of a police chief who will uphold the ideals of the department and continue to build on the positive work that has been done in recent years.”
Benford has served as police chief for the Boston Housing Authority since January and the chief of emergency management for the city since August 2018. He has more than 25 years of experience in law enforcement and emergency management.
Prior to his current role, Benford served as the deputy chief of public safety for the Boston Public Health Commission Police Department. He has also served with the Boston Police Department, Northeastern University Police and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and is a current adjunct professor at Roxbury Community College and a certified police trainer.
Benford has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Curry College and a master’s degree in political science from Suffolk University.
King is a captain with the Salem Police Department and served as the department’s acting chief for nine months starting in August 2020. He has been with the department since 1996, and was previously a correctional officer with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and a patrol officer at North Shore Community College. He has also served as a trainer in several police training programs
King has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice, as well as a graduate certificate in geographic information systems, from Salem State College and a doctorate of law from the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover.
Richards is a special services captain with the Peabody Police Department — a position he has held since January 2015 — and oversees the traffic, special operations, records and training/accreditation divisions. He has 25 years of law enforcement experience and, before joining the department, served as a corrections officer with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and a patrolman with the Town of Groveland.
He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisville.
The Police Chief Screening Committee was appointed in April and chose five candidates who then moved on to a competitive assessment center where their knowledge, skills, abilities and personal characteristics were evaluated.
The three finalists will be interviewed by the Board of Selectmen before an applicant is chosen to fill the position.
