Finalists in the Police Chief Search to participate in October 10 public interview sessions open to community attendance

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Somerville’s Police Chief Search Committee invite the community to join or watch the public interview sessions being held for the three finalists for the Police Chief search. Interviews will be held on Tuesday, October 10, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at City Hall, online, and on the city’s GovTV via live cablecast and later streaming. To learn more about the finalists and the process, visit somervillema.gov/policechief. 

In February 2023, the city contracted GovHR – an industry-leading expert in executive recruitment – to help lead a rigorous nationwide search for suitable candidates. A community search committee was also established and community feedback was gathered during public listening sessions held in February and March and meetings with several stakeholder groups. Guided by that input and direct feedback from the members of the Search Committee, GovHR put forward recommendations for candidates earlier this year.

“I want to thank the Search Committee, especially Councilor Clingan and the community volunteers, as well as GovHR, for dedicating their time and diligence to this important hiring process to help ensure that Somerville’s next Chief of Police will bring not just the experience and skills needed to help keep our community safe but also the values and vision that will help advance our shared goals for public safety going forward,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. 

The Police Chief Search Committee consists of constituents, subject matter experts, local elected officials, and city staff, including: 

• Jesse Clingan, Ward 4 City Councilor

• Kevin Dickinson, Somerville Constituent

• Magalie Joseph, Somerville Constituent

• Lori Segall, Somerville Constituent

• Anne Gill, Director of Human Resources

• Denise Molina Capers Esq., Director of the Department of Racial & Social Justice

• Michael Capasso, Lieutenant (SPD)

• Christine Bork, Patrol Officer (SPD)

The Search Committee received training in the history of policing, hiring best practices, and anti-bias training to help support their mission. Over the summer, the members selected five candidates to interview in-person and designed questions for the interview sessions based on community input and their diverse experiences, knowledge, and roles in the community. 

“The City of Somerville’s Police Chief Search Committee has worked hand-in-hand with the executive search firm GovHR to diligently source and present qualified individuals for consideration for the position of Chief of Police for the city. To that end, three finalists will be publicly interviewed for the second time to determine the best fit for this critical, highly visible position,” shared Anne Gill, Director of Human Resources and Chair of the Committee.

“We have been working hard with the Committee and GovHR to lead a nationwide exhaustive search for candidates that meet and exceed our shared community values. I am proud of the work we have done and for the opportunity for Somerville residents to meet the candidates who have advanced to this stage,” said Denise Molina Capers, Director of the Racial and Social Justice Department and Co-Chair of the Committee. “I look forward to again turning to the Somerville community during these meetings to carry forward our common vision for transparency, accountability, and community input throughout this process.”

The Finalists

The Search Committee conducted in-person interviews of the five candidates on Wednesday, September 20 and Thursday, September 21. The Committee selected the three candidates listed below to advance to the final stage:

• Benjamin M. Murphy

• Carmine C. Vivolo

• Din R. Jenkins Sr.

Finalist candidates will each participate in this final round of interviews, which will be public. The meeting will be open to public attendance both in-person and online and available on-demand after the session. During the session, all questions will be asked by Committee members.

The public interview sessions on Tuesday, October 10, will follow the format below:

• 10:00 a.m. | Police Chief Interview (Candidate 1): Benjamin M. Murphy

• 1:00 p.m. | Police Chief Interview (Candidate 2): Carmine C. Vivolo

• 2:30 p.m. | Police Chief Interview (Candidate 3): Din R. Jenkins Sr.

How to Join or Watch Finalist Interviews

Somerville community members are invited to attend the meeting live in-person or online. 

• In person: The interviews will take place at Somerville City Hall Chambers, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143. 

• Online: To view the live meetings via Zoom, copy and paste the following link into your internet browser: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87347254728?pwd=iKGl2PKwOvvd1A73_98PgvYzE87LVw.idr1Yr9uX4aDbib3. 

• Live on GovTV: Watch the interviews live (and on repeats) on the city’s GovTV Cable TV Channels: Comcast 22 and Astound (RCN) 13 and 613.

• Watch on-demand on city YouTube: Starting on Oct. 11, watch the interviews on-demand on the city TV’s YouTube Channel youtube.com/somervillecitytv 

Each finalist will also meet individually with Mayor Ballantyne who will advance one candidate for Mayoral appointment as the Somerville Police Chief and submit her appointment to the Somerville City Council for confirmation. 

Accessibility

Closed Captioning will be available via the Zoom platform. Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e. CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance, at 617-625-6600 x2059 or ada@somervillema.gov.

The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter for free. To request an interpreter in your language, please contact the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somervillema.gov/ContactSomerviva or call 311 (617-666-3311)