By George P. Hassett

Acting Police Chief   Robert R. Bradley says he wants to finish what he started.

‚ÄúI want the Somerville Police Department to be a better place when I leave than when I got here. Right now it isn‚Äôt,‚Äù he said at the July 10  question and answer session between the public and the three finalists for chief of police.

At the meeting, Bradley stressed his deep roots in the community and his accomplishments as acting chief.

“I’m uniquely qualified for the job because of my knowledge of the community,” he said. “I understand the culture of the Somerville Police Department.

Bradley has been a Somerville cop for 38 years and graduated from Somerville High School in 1964, he said. In his tenure as acting chief,   the department has succeeded in hiring more minorities, purchasing better equipment and solving a budget crisis that threatened the city financially, he said.

Under Bradley’s watch, a desk being used to store $31,535 seized in drug arrests was thrown out by two officers assigned to clean the evidence room. After a State Police probe, all officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing or foul play.

Eight of the last 11 officers hired by the Somerville Police Department have been minorities and two were women. Bradley said the department has done a good job of recruiting minorities but still needs more women.

He inherited a severe budget problem when he became acting chief in March 2005, he said. The police department had already overextended its budget by $600,000 only halfway through the fiscal year, he said. If the overspending had continued, the expected budget would have been exceeded by $1.2 million and the city would be bankrupt, he said.

“I came in with a mandate to stop the bleeding,” he said. After making cuts in the department and reducing the sick time used by officers by 40 percent, spending slowed down and a crisis was averted, he said.

When asked if he has dealt with corruption or malfeasance in his career, Bradley said, “unfortunately, yes.”

“It is not widespread, and I’m not overly concerned about it. But I have terminated two officers in the last two and half years. If it comes up, you have to take immediate action,” he said. Morale in the department is fine, he said.

Bradley said in his time as acting chief, the department has spent $1.6 million on new equipment including 15 cruisers and new weapons, bulletproof vests and radios.

He said it is important for the department to reach out to immigrant communities and make them feel included in the city. He meets with the Human Rights Commission and the director of multicultural affairs each month, he said. He also opposes using local officers to enforce federal immigration laws. ‚ÄúWe don‚Äôt ask for green cards, and we don‚Äôt care whether someone is here legally or illegally,‚Äù he said.