Search Process Continuing for New Revere Police Chief

By Sue Ellen Woodcock

Four internal candidates drawn from the ranks of the Revere Police Department are vying for the position of Chief of Police.  Recently, these applicants underwent testing to see how they would respond to certain situations at an assessment center two weeks ago as part of the hiring process.

Current Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli is contracted by the city until June 30 and the mayor has opted not to renew his contract.

Mayor Brian Arrigo said the next step is to look at the results and call in candidates for a one-on-one interview. The decision as to who becomes the next Chief of Police is expected to come in the coming weeks.

“I will meet with each candidate individually just like I did with the Fire Chief candidates,” Arrigo said.

Candidates were put through a simulation test, which is run by police chiefs from other communities. Arlington Police Chief Fred Ryan is the one who administered Revere’s test. He has done over 100 simulations in his 15 years of doing this test. The cost of the test for the four officers was about $7,000.

Arrigo met with Ryan to discuss the results, which were not released to the public. “The assessment center is one piece of the test,” Arrigo said. “I’d like to make a decision by the end of the month and give the incoming chief a month to get their feet wet.”

Ryan said the Revere Police Department is moving toward more of a community policing type force. He added that it is more of a 21st century policing style.

There had been five candidates initially and one withdrew after a written part of the exam. There were no outside candidates because the city’s bylaw requires that the chief come from within the department. Ryan added that salary is negotiable with an average chief salary being around $200,000.

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