AMHERST — Aspects of the search for a permanent police chief to lead the Amherst Police Department are being delayed until after Labor Day.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman said this week that the town is working with GovHR USA, based in Northbrook, Illinois, on the process to find a permanent successor to Scott Livingstone, who served as police chief for almost 14 years before retiring at the end of May.
Police Capt. Gabriel Ting has been serving as the interim police chief since Livingstone’s departure.
Bockelman said the town is still awaiting a signed contract with GovHR, a company described on its website as “a certified woman-owned business that provides comprehensive executive recruitment, interim staffing, human resources consulting and organizational analysis consulting services for local governments.”
Its initial work, Bockelman said, will include meeting one-on-one with town officials to get information about the values and skills being sought in the next police chief.
Then, in September, community feedback and public outreach will allow the search company to form a profile for the police chief candidate. That feedback will likely come via sessions, both in person and via Zoom, where the public can provide oral feedback, as well as opportunities for written comments.
Bockelman said it made sense to put off the search until a time when more people are back in town, as the school year begins, rather than starting the search in the middle of the summer.
Once the public portion of the search is complete, GovHR will create the police chief profile, and a search committee will be formed to identify candidates for the job.
“We will definitely have a new chief in the fall,” Bockelman said.