SWAMPSCOTT — Municipal Resources, Inc. (MRI), hired to coordinate the new police chief search, will be able to present a final list of two to three candidates to the town administrator by mid-February, according to interim Police Chief David Kurz.
“We’ve done a national search and we have gone through a number of resumes and gleaned, we believe, the most viable candidates,” said Kurz, who works for New Hampshire-based MRI as a senior consultant and is spearheading the search while serving as the interim police chief of Swampscott.
MRI announced the search for the new police chief in November 2021. After initially receiving applications, it was able to narrow down the pool of candidates to about two dozen, said Kurz. Currently, the candidates are completing essays based on the input Kurz was able to gather in a number of community-engagement meetings.
Kurz held three separate community meetings where he conducted a “SWOT” analysis of the department ― an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats ― and learned that the residents were looking for a personable chief who recognizes the importance of community. There were a lot of discussions about transparency at those meetings, Kurz said, while recognizing the privacy matters of police work as well as engagement with the community.
“It was very clear to me that this is an engaged community that wants to know their police,” said Kurz.
Swampscott residents are looking for a well-rounded chief, with the oversight and management experience of running a police organization, who will also communicate with them, Kurz said.
Kurz has also made sure to understand the needs of the Swampscott Police Department to ensure that the candidates’ skill sets are in line with them.
After some phone interviews, MRI will hold an assessment session at the library in the beginning of February to shortlist two or three final candidates for the position.
“We essentially would say to Swampscott ‘These three people are capable of being your next police chief,’” said Kurz.
The town administration can then conduct additional interviews or hold additional community-engagement panels to decide on the one person who would be the best fit for the community.
Kurz said the search was not limited either by geography or the age cap.
“A number of people who applied, they’re just not ready to do Swampscott yet,” said Kurz.
MRI has done police chief searches for many communities in New England, Kurz said. He personally participated in 20 to 30 of them.
