Shutesbury names two finalists for police chief position

SHUTESBURY — Shutesbury’s acting police chief and a full-time police officer in Sunderland are the finalists to become the town’s next permanent police chief.

Sgt. Devon Pelletier, a six-year police officer who assumed the temporary leadership in Shutesbury on July 17, and Benjamin Peters, a patrol officer in Sunderland, were announced as finalists by Town Administrator Hayley Bolton at the Select Board’s Dec. 17 meeting.

Both will be interviewed publicly Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, pending their availability. The interviews will be done by the Select Board, though the public is welcome to observe and send questions via email in advance.

Peters has worked nine years as a full-time officer and has specialized training as an FBI certified crisis and hostage negotiator, and a sexual assault investigator.

“He is committed to community policing and is noted for founding a cadet internship program,” Bolton said.

Pelletier brings six years of law enforcement experience.

“He has demonstrated a service oriented and a transparent leadership style, and he has successfully managed the department’s budget and implemented community policing strategies,” Bolton said.

“We feel very confident that you have a very tough decision before you,” Bolton said.

The search for a new police chief was launched after former Police Chief Kristin Burgess was placed on leave last May. Burgess was acting police chief starting in spring 2021 and became permanent chief in 2022.

The advertisement for the position stated that the police chief oversees two full-time officers and two part-time officers, with an annual budget of $283,000 and a salary range of $70,000 to $85,000, depending on qualifications: “The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader committed to transparency, building public trust, officer wellness, and inclusive community policing.”

Peters and Pelletier were named by a review committee that included Select Board representative Melissa Makepeace-O’Neil; Personnel Board representative Kathy Salvador; Council on Aging representative Mary Jo Johnson; Amherst Police Chief Gabriel Ting; and three community members, John Hersey, a former Shutesbury police chief and part-time officer; Andrew Reagan, a member of the town’s volunteer fire department; and Kelly Searcy, a law student at the University of Massachusetts, with Bolton as an ex officio member.

Bolton completed reference checks after the search committee’s Dec. 11 meeting.

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