Mayor Joe Curtatone went against a lot of local sentiment when he chose DEA agent Thomas Pasquarello to be this city’s next police chief. Acting Chief Michael Cabral, a 1981 graduate of Somerville High School and in the police department since 1987, was the popular choice for many in the community.

“I am baffled as to why someone would choose an outsider over someone like Cabral who is a lifer from Somerville who has been a cop in the department for [23] years,” said one of our Facebook friends.

Cabral is a popular figure in the community – he is often seen at Little League games and community events – and he is familiar with all the history, hot spots and local characters in Somerville. As acting chief, he handled crisis (the flood and an incident in which three officers were stabbed) as well as could be expected.

But time could prove Curtatone’s choice of Pasquarello to be sound. As a regional director with the DEA, Pasquarello has cleared poppy fields in Thailand and rooted out drug dealing gangs in Providence and New Haven.

With so much federal experience, he should be able to deliver on the promise he made at last month’s public forum to win federal public safety grants.

Even his “outsider” status is shaky: he’s from Porter Square in Cambridge. Curtatone said he has recommended to Pasquarello that he move to Somerville.

That’s a good idea: Pasquarello is about to lead one of the biggest departments in the city, his decisions will be felt in all neighborhoods. He should live here with the rest of us to experience the  consequences.