By George P. Hassett

Anthony Holloway, a Clearwater, Fla. police captain, will be the city’s next top cop starting in January, announced Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone at a news conference Friday.

Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard T. Leone and Attorney General Martha Coakley also attended the meeting and congratulated Holloway on his new post.

Holloway has been a cop in Clearwater since 1986 and said he looked forward to bringing the skills he learned there to Somerville.

“I want to be a part of the good things that are happening here,” Holloway said.

Curtatone chose Holloway over two other finalists, Miami-Dade Police Major Ruben Galindo and Acting Chief Robert R. Bradley. Bradley, who has been a Somerville cop for 38 years and served as acting chief for more than two years.

Patrolmen’s Union President Jack Leuchter said Bradley’s status as an insider at the Somerville Police Department worked against him.

“I think the mayor was worried the public would look at the search process like it was a farce if he chose someone who was already here. But I think Bradley earned it. The big thing the mayor wanted was reorganizing the department, and Bradley was the main force behind getting that done,” he said.

Curtatone said his options were narrowed down to either Holloway or Galindo after deciding to go outside the department for the job. He called rumors that Holloway was offered the job only after Galindo declined, “grossly exaggerated.” He said Holloway was his first choice.

Galindo would not say if he was offered the job but did say that he did not have any doubts or reservations about accepting the job if offered.

Leuchter said Bradley was instrumental in bringing the Patrolmen‚Äôs Union together with city officials to get a new union contract done. Because of the contract, the department can now undergo some major changes in the schedules officers work and how they are deployed throughout the city, he said. The reorganization was one of Curtatone‚Äôs goals for the department.   

At Friday’s announcement, Curtatone praised Bradley as an “aggressive, progressive leader” for the department but said Holloway’s hire represented the beginning of a new era for local police. He said Bradley’s expected retirement in three years, even if selected as chief, played a factor in his decision to bypass the longtime city cop, but it was “not the determining factor.”

“I chose someone whose credentials, background and passion make him the ideal candidate for the job,” said Curtatone.

Curtatone said the division Holloway commands in Clearwater and its budget nearly match the force he will be taking over in Somerville.

Holloway said his biggest challenge will be learning about the community he will police. He said his current knowledge of Somerville is limited to “everything he read about the city on the Internet” and a drive around the city with his wife.

To get a better sense of the city, he said he will accompany patrolmen on rides around the city and meet with command staff.

“Police work is the same everywhere. I have to learn about the community,” he said.
Leuchter had supported Bradley for the job but said Holloway is still an excellent choice.

‚ÄúHe seems like a working cop,‚Äù Leuchter said. ‚ÄúAt his interview, he made it clear he works in the patrol division, and that‚Äôs what guys in the department want, nothing fancy, just someone who can relate to what a cop does. He seems like he‚Äôs for real.‚Äù   

During the public comment period of the selection process, 14 citizens wrote in to advise Curtatone on his decision. Ten said Galindo should get the job, three said Bradley deserved it and one recommended Holloway. However, even that citizen said Galindo may be the best choice for the city but is “too overqualified” and “would get bored quickly” and recommended Holloway as the next best choice.

The search for a new chief began in July 2006 when the state legislature approved a home rule petition allowing the city to remove the selection process from civil service. In total, it cost the city $32,000. The city paid consultants Waters Oldani $21,000 to find a pool of applicants for the job. A weekend visit by Curtatone to Galindo and Holloway’s work places in Florida cost the city an additional $2,346.

On the visit to Clearwater, Curtatone said he was influenced by a comment from a local community leader on Holloway’s impact.

“A reverend down there told me that Anthony Holloway had restored his belief in policing, and that struck me as really significant,” he said.

At a July 10 public question and answer session with the three finalists, Holloway stressed a community policing approach to law enforcement. He said he has always considered himself married to two partners – his wife and the community he patrols. As a newlywed with only two days of marriage behind him, Holloway said he lost his wedding band during a “mini-riot.” He spread the word around the neighborhood that he wanted his ring back. Within
24 hours, it had been returned and was back on his finger, he said.

“Ever since then I’ve considered myself married to my wife and the community
I work in,” he said.

Curtatone said Holloway will be offered a five year contract to be the city‚Äôs police chief.