Panelists Interview Finalists for Police Commissioner Post

A pair of panels interviewed candidates vying to become Cambridge's first-ever police commissioner last weekend, prompting City Manager Robert W. Healy to say he would appoint someone to the post by the end of the month.

A 10-member professional advisory panel and a 13-member citizen advisory panel scrutinized the all-male group of nine semi-finalists Saturday and Sunday at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge.

High Quality Applicants

Expert panelist and Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice Mark H. Moore said the candidate list boasts a number of former police commissioners and that more than half of the hopefuls are members of minority groups. Members from both panels including Moore, said they were impressed by the quality of the candidates.

"My impression is that it was a very distinct, high quality group of applicants," Moore said. "It was very exciting to interview them. All of them would be well qualified to be police commissioner."

The Rev. L. Nelson Foxx, one of 13 members on the citizen panel, said that each of the candidates, whose ages range from early 40s to late 50s, has served on police departments both as an officer and in an administrative capacity.

"The nine candidates are among the finest caliber of individuals for police work in the country, both from academic and practical experience," Foxx said.

Minority Representation

Foxx. who said that all panel members must present the city manager with written evaluations of each candidate, added that he was amazed by the number of minorities under consideration.

"I don't believe there has been a search for any top position in a large city with such a large percentage of minority candidates," he said.

The new police commissioner will be a civilian appointed from outside the department. Traditionally, the department is run by a police chief--an officer selected from the ranks. With current Chief of Police Anthony G. Paolillo retiring this spring, Healy must soon decide whether to hire another chief of police to complement the civilian head.

The police commissioner position was created by the city council in the mid-1970s in response to concerns about the department's relationship with the community, but was never filled until this year, when councillors argued that an outside leader is necessary to better respond to the needs of individuals throughout the city.

"I think [the panel is] hoping to find someone who could establish links with community groups," Moore said. "We were also mindful of affirmative action objectives."

Commissioner Qualities

In a memorandum to the panelists, Healy set guidelines for questions and outlined the qualities they should look for during the interviews.

Healy instructed the panelists to judge each candidate on his leadership, innovation, community involvement, multicultural sensitivity, overall ability to improve police operations and ability to communicate orally.

"We are looking for a commissioner with integrity who has the ability to revitalize and restore the image of the department and for someone who can communicate with a diverse multi-cultural community," Foxx said. "Fortunately, all of the candidates met virtually all these requirements--some just fit the bill better than others."