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Hampden appoints new sergeant, approves month-to-month interim chief contract and authorizes police chief search support
Summary
Select Board appointed Jason Grama as sergeant, approved an interim employment contract with retired chief Scott Tremblay, and directed the town administrator to pursue an outside search firm to run a competitive chief search and assessment center.
The Select Board on Monday appointed Jason Grama to the rank of sergeant and approved a month-to-month interim employment contract for retired Chief Scott Tremblay while the town conducts a search for a permanent police chief.
Why it matters: The board moved quickly to maintain continuity in department leadership after a recent retirement and to begin an external search intended to deliver qualified candidates for the permanent chief position.
Sergeant appointment: The board voted to appoint Jason Grama as sergeant after the police promotion process produced multiple qualified candidates, the chief told the board. Don, the select-board chair, offered the appointment and the board approved by voice vote.
Interim chief contract: The board reviewed and approved an interim employment agreement with Scott Tremblay to serve on a month-to-month basis. Brian, the town administrator, said the contract was drafted to reflect board guidance and emphasized the short-term nature of the appointment. During discussion, Tremblay asked for clarity about paid holidays and bereavement leave; board members and staff said holidays would be paid prorated based on hours worked and noted the interim arrangement was not expected to affect Tremblay's retirement credits.
Search for permanent chief: The board reviewed proposals from three vendors — Public Safety Consultants LLC (Russ Stevens), Hanrahan/Hammerhand Consultants and the Collins Center — and discussed scope and cost. After discussion, the board voted to instruct the town administrator to contact Public Safety Consultants (Russ Stevens) to negotiate an agreement, subject to possible scope modification to limit costs and focus the firm’s work on candidate screening and assessment-center administration. Brian and the board agreed the town would update the chief job description internally before the consultant conducts outreach.
Actions taken: Motion to appoint Jason Grama as sergeant — moved, seconded, voice vote ‘aye’ (approved). Motion to approve interim employment contract with Scott Tremblay — moved, seconded, voice vote ‘aye’ (approved). Motion to instruct the town administrator to contact Public Safety Consultants regarding the chief search and negotiate scope — moved, seconded, voice vote ‘aye’ (approved).
Next steps: The town administrator will negotiate a scope with the selected vendor, update the job description internally, publish the posting, collect resumes and forward candidate materials to the consultant for assessment-center screening and recommendation to the board.
