Interim police chief hires new officers
BadgeQuest collects resumes, prepares for chief interviews
By Caitlyn Kelleher

Interim Police Chief William George stands outside the Ashby Police Station near one of the cars.

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Ashby Interim Police Chief William George will have a full contingent of officers on staff before the end of the month.

George hired Brian Vautour and Shawn McClusky as full-time officers over the last few weeks as he helps prepare the department for a new chief.

"It's hard to hire for someone else," George said. "But at least (the new officers will) be up and running and the chief will have bodies."

Vautour and McClusky are both graduates of the police academy and have some experience. But, each will spend some time training with one of the experienced full-time officers, George said.

"They have to be ready to do everything by themselves," George said.

George took over the department in May after Chief Steven McClatchy resigned.

McClatchy is consulting with George and helped in the hiring process.

"I think the willingness of Chief McClatchy to help out has been very beneficial," George said.

The department had a full-time position open when George was hired in June, and a second one became open when Police Officer Joseph Woods resigned his full-time position this summer.

The department has five full-time patrolman positions in addition to the chief's position.

Woods with the selectmen's approval will remain part of the department as a reserve officer. George said he would like to have two or three more reserve officers in town.

"If you don't have the bodies you can't do anything," he said.

George is working part-time at the department but remains on call if a situation requires his attention or presence.

George is the retired chief from Holliston and he has served as interim chief in Harvard, Sterling and Bolton as well as at Nichols College.

He worked for 20 years as an officer in Framingham before becoming chief in Holliston in 1991.

"I've had good success at being more then just a caretaker," George said of his previous experience. "I want to leave it so when the chief comes in he has fewer problems to overcome. But I try to do it in a way that won't usurp his authority."

George said one of his suggestions for the department is that town officials hire an administrative assistant for the chief. He said he has tried to delegate some of the administrative work that McClatchy was doing to some of the other department employees.

"(The new chief) can take back what he wants to take back," George said. "It takes a while to figure out what is important to you."

The selectmen hired Stephen Unsworth, the founder of BadgeQuest and former Waltham Police Chief, to recruit candidates and begin the interview process for a new chief.

"I am extremely impressed by what Chief McClatchy has done," Unsworth said. "He is a loss for the town. It is a challenge for me to bring in a replacement."

The town is seeking a candidate who has seven years of experience as a police officer with at least three of those years as a supervisor at the rank of sergeant or higher. The candidate must also have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice or a related field.

The candidate must also be able to have or obtain certification by the state's Criminal Justice Committee.

"We have almost 50 applicants, so far," Unsworth said. "The deadline for applying is the 11th of August. We have some very good applicants. I am very pleased."

Unsworth expects to bring names of finalists before the board of selectmen by the middle of September, so a new chief can be in place by the middle of October.

Two groups will interview the candidates before a recommendation is brought to the selectmen. The first group will be comprised of Unsworth, George and McClatchy, and the second group will include Unsworth, Town Administrator Linda Sanders and another person.

Candidates will also have to pass a background check.