Arrigo Names Guido as New Interim Chief:Longtime Police Captain to Head Force While New Initiatives are Being Explored

By Sue Ellen Woodcock

Captain James Guido

Mayor Brian Arrigo has announced that Captain James Guido will be the interim Police Chief of Revere beginning on July 1. Arrigo opted not to renew the contract earlier this year with the present Chief Joseph Cafarelli, whose last day will be June 30.

Guido has been on the Revere Police Department since 1986 and holds a degree from Curry College, including a master’s degree in criminal justice. He’s been active in the community of Revere and in the police department.

“I look forward to the next stage in my career. I wear a lot of hats,” Guido said. “The department is great. We have some work to do and I’m going to do my utmost to make it greater.”

Guido’s biggest accomplishment, a project he spear-headed, has been the building of the joint police and fire station on Revere Beach Parkway. Fifteen years ago and $21 million later he’s still making sure everything is still working.

Although Guido lives in Chelsea, he has spent numerous hours volunteering his time in Revere in building playgrounds and parks, the Sandcastle Festival, community police events and fundraisers.

In the police department, Guido has been on the administrative end for the past 15 years.

“I do the nuts and bolts, the payroll, and the budget,” Guido said.

He is also the Deputy Director of the city’s Emergency Management and chairman of the Insurance Advisory Committee. He’s also been a police union official most of his career.

According to the city ordinances, as of July 1, at the expiration of the term of the current chief, the executive officer of the department, Capt. James Guido, will serve as interim chief. The interim chief will be in place to maintain continuity while the organizational review is completed.

More details in the Mayor’s plans for the police department are in the Mayor’s OpEd column on page 4.

“It’s a demanding job. There’s some work to be done,” Guido said. “We have a lot of great new officers.”

Weeks ago, four internal candidates for the position of Revere Chief of Police were put through an assessment center to see how they would do in various situations.

Arlington Police Chief Fred Ryan conducted the assessment center.  He has done over 100 assessment centers in his 15 years experience.

He noted that average chief salary around $200,000. The details of Guido’s salary have not been released. Arrigo has stated a top priority for a new chief is summarized by whether that individual can bring 21st Century policing practices to the City of Revere. What exactly does that mean?

“It means building trust between the police and residents. It means building a culture of accountability. It means utilizing technology to improve the police force’s ability to do their job, and to improve communication with the public. It means a focus on community policing as a guiding philosophy: collaborating with residents to solve neighborhood issues.  And last but not least, it emphasizes officer wellness and safety,” Arrigo said.

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