A new police chief for Sherborn has been chosen. After close to two months of interviewing prospective candidates, the Sherborn Board of Selectmen has chosen, from the original 29 applicants, Sherborn resident Sergeant Richard Thompson of the Framingham police department.

“There was really no bad choice,” said Selectman Chris Peck after the re-interviewing the three final applicants in a 4 1/2-hour meeting on Thursday, May 7, in public forum at the Sherborn Town Hall. Ron Fernandes, his fellow selectman, wholeheartedly agreed. In the end, it was a Sherborn resident who is most able to, as Fernandes put it, “Plug n’ play.” In other words, he was the candidate they could put into the position as soon as possible and would be most comfortable in his surroundings. Peck added that because of Thompson’s familiarity with the town, he would get further in his first 100 days as police chief.

Peck and Fernandes discussed the three interviews for close to an hour before deciding on Thompson. Selectman Paul DeRensis could not attend the meeting for what he cited as personal reasons. In the hour the selectman took to make the decision, they said that all the applicants — Jeff Lourie, a detective sergeant with the Auburn Police Department; and Mark Dubois, a lieutenant with the Shrewsbury Police Department; and Thompson — held all of the necessary skills to step into the position. One main point that Fernandes brought up in each final interview was that the outgoing police chief had been there for 24 years and the new chief they are hoping will find his position to be, “a cap stone and not a stepping stone.”

In choosing Thompson, Peck said that he tried to discount the hometown advantage, but he wanted assurance as to “who’s gonna be here down the line”. Fernandes questioned, “Is it a job that could done more effectively from the [perspective of] inside or out.” When Peck decided that his nomination would be for Thompson, Fernandes encouraged him to discuss the thought process more, saying, “We need to articulate why we made this decision,” in a public forum. 

Thompson is a nine-year Sherborn resident with both of his children in the local schools. Thompson has spent the last 15 years as a part of the Framingham Police Department. He began as a patrol officer in 1994 and has since held various positions in Framingham, including detective in Family Services and the Bureau of Investigations, until 2005 when he was promoted to sergeant and patrol supervisor. He then became sergeant commander in the Office of the Police Prosecutor, where he serves as liaison to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office in 2,500 criminal cases per year, coordinating 130 Framingham Police personnel in those cases. 

As far as being an active resident of Sherborn, Thompson has served on the following town committees: Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, 23 Washington Street Re-Use Committee, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Pine Hill Elementary School Safety Group and the Officer Selection/Interview Team for the town Police Department. 

In his interview, he made clear that he would revamp police policies in Sherborn that have not changed since 1977, and presented the selectman with a 12-month plan on how he would run the department. Within that plan there were three-, six- and nine-month goals as well. Many of those goals focused on his desire to reach out and be available to the community. Thompson said that once he is police chief that “the old way of policing is over.” He added that retraining the staff with updated policies will be key when he is chief, adding there will be weekly training sessions with the officers. 

During the interview, when asked why he felt he should be chief, Thompson answered, “I love this community. This is a once-in-a lifetime-opportunity. I feel strongly about the neighbors and friends I have here.”

When asked what kind of officers he’s looking to serve with, Thompson said he wanted “confident, educated, a commitment to the community, pro-active and approachable.” He described himself as a, “very serious person,” adding that a friend once told him, “it took two years to see your teeth.”

On the topic of officers working overtime on detail assignments, such as work sites, Thompson said he feels the state does not pay officers a decent salary and detail work is a good way for officers to supplement their income. To minimize overtime in Sherborn, he said he would look into hiring another officer or two.

The 29 applicants for the position were narrowed to three in private committee meetings that were made up of the board of selectman and private citizens. On the committee were: Fire Chief Neil McPherson and residents Charlie Polachi, Artie Torigian, Carol Mansfield, Tony Marinello, Blair Van Brunt and Grace Goodearl. Goodearl is a local high school student who sat in was a nonvoting member.

“Having been chosen as the Chief of Police in Sherborn is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Thompson said. “I cannot explain how it feels in one word. I’m experiencing a tremendous amount of excitement, energy and anticipation. I look forward to working with our officers, our town officials and our residents who make Sherborn the perfect community”.