Back to Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes
January 21, 2010
Special Session 9:05 am
Ms. Burns, Mr. Rabuffo, Mr. Riley
Sergeant Interviews
David Jones advised the Board that he had completed the accident reconstruction course that he had mentioned the last time he was interviewed. Mr. Jones said his short term goal is to be a patrol supervisor and his long term goal is a supervisory/management position within the department. Mr. Jones said he is investigating a master’s degree program. He is most proud of his national certification as a drug recognition expert – only twenty officers are certified drug recognition experts in Massachusetts.
Scott Tracey advised that he had transferred from Halifax in 2005. He would like to progress through the department. He has primarily worked on the day shift and is anxious to progress. Mr. Tracey was awarded a masters degree from Curry last May. He said that as a patrol officer it is important to know who you are working with and, as a supervisor, it is important to know who can handle certain situations.
David Pettiti said that he finds the sergeant role is unique. On the road one has to be independent and as a sergeant one is responsible for a group of people’s actions. The sergeant must make sure all the work is done before the end of the shift. It is rewarding and a combination of everything he has learned and done previously as a police officer. It is a learning process and the biggest transition is delegating. He thanked the Board for the opportunity he has had since being appointed to the temporary position in August
Lisa McCracken said she has been a patrolman for 10 years, has an associates’ degree and is currently enrolled in a bachelor’s program. She is involved in RAD, does EMS supply ordering and has acted as patrol supervisory many times. Ms. McCracken said she is anxious to have a leadership role in the future in the department. She has enjoyed working with children. She said the most important quality in a sergeant is confidence in the decision you make. As patrol supervisor she had been in charge of 4-5 patrolmen and makes decisions about moving people around. Chief Mills pointed out that Officer McCracken had received tremendous accolades from the School Department during her tenure as safety officer.
Philip Tracey said he has been on the job for 11 years, has good leadership skills and is most interested in a leadership role. He commented that the most important quality for a sergeant would be leadership skills, to lead by example and not to be a dictator. Mr. Tracey has acted as a patrol supervisor. During one such time a call came in that a suspicious package had arrived at a program house in South Hingham. His role had been to work with diverting traffic and coordinating between the local officers and state police.
Economic Summit Presentation
The Board discussed the upcoming Economic Summit presentation. The Advisory Committee, School Committee and Selectmen will make presentations. This will be an update that basically says “here’s what we have done, here is revenue we found (there may be more) and some things require future study”. The Board agreed that funding OPEB in FY11 will send a good message.
Meeting adjourned 11:00 am.
Betty Foley, Clerk