NORWALK, Conn. Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling doesn't like the idea of a nationwide search for his replacement. He points to Dean Esserman as Exhibit A.
Esserman, police chief in Providence, R.I., was hired to be the police chief in Stamford in 1998 by then-Mayor Dannel Malloy. Despite his impressive credentials, the outsider didn't do well, Rilling said. "Wherever he went, he was arrogant, obnoxious and people retired him," Rilling said. "You have to be very, very careful about who you're bringing in."
In Norwalk, Democratic mayoral candidate Andy Garfunkel has said on his website that as mayor, he would conduct a nationwide search for a chief to replace Rilling when he retires in December 2012. "I believe in casting a wide net with the goal of hiring the most qualified to lead our outstanding police force," he said in a statement. "This inclusive search process allows candidates from within the Norwalk Police Department to apply for the position."
The promise drew Republican ire last week. Art Scialabba, Norwalk Republican Town Chairman, asked, "Why spend the money?" Mayor Richard Moccia said he didn't know what the cost would be, because it hadn't been considered, but Rilling has an opinion.
The intensity of a nationwide search would vary, he said, and so would the cost. In Norwalk's case, the process would include bringing in prospective candidates to show them the community and to interview officers, and their expenses would have to be paid. There would be a lengthy questionnaire to determine a potential chief's philosophy. Afterward, a search firm would go into the candidate's community to seek opinions. "You're not looking just for a police officer, you're looking for a type of leader that you want to lead your agency," he said. "...I would say that in order to do a really comprehensive thorough and effective search for a new police chief it would be somewhere right around $100,000, maybe more."
The Daily Norwalk asked Garfunkel what he thought about the chief's estimate. Garfunkel submitted the same general statement he had previously sent The Hour. His comment above is part of that statement, which is printed in its entirety as another story.
Rilling said he would prefer to hire from within. "They all say the devil you know is better than the devil you don't; you don't really know who you're getting," he said. Even if the new chief had sufficient talent, it would take him or her six months to a year to learn the community, he said.
Rilling would give his input to the police commission, and he bristled at this reporter's suggestion that that might lead to favoritism. "I will put it as succinctly as possible: I was born and raised in Norwalk," he said. "I live here. My children live here. My grandchildren live here. I have hundreds and hundreds of friends that live here. I want the Norwalk Police Department to always, even after I leave here, be the best it can possibly be. I'm not going to make any recommendation to the board of police commissioners that I'm not comfortable with, and it's not going to be based on favoritism."
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