Hampden officials begin search for police chief after Grama announces July 17 retirement; interim proposal discussed

Town of Hampden officials opened a formal search to fill the police chief post after Chief Grama told the Select Board he intends to retire effective July 17. Town leaders discussed hiring a professional search firm for a combined internal/external recruitment and reviewed an interim-contract proposal from Grama to provide part-time coverage while the search proceeds.

The discussion matters because the town must maintain police leadership during the transition and decide whether to pay for outside recruitment help. Town Administrator said the options were to retain a search firm to run advertising, gather applications and perform assessments, or to have town staff do the initial advertising and paperwork while a firm conducts candidate outreach and assessment. "We don't really have the connections to reach out to the policing community," the Town Administrator said, arguing a firm would be more proactive in recruiting candidates.

Board members raised timing and scope. The Select Board discussed advertising externally while keeping internal candidates eligible, setting geographic parameters for recruits and meeting candidate firms in person or by Zoom. The board also noted several unsolicited local candidates have already expressed interest.

The board reviewed a proposal from Chief Grama to serve on a month-to-month interim basis, limited to 24 hours per week at $75 per hour and "no longer than Labor Day," with contract terms to carry his current indemnification coverage into the interim arrangement. "He's saying month to month, no longer than Labor Day. Mhmm. So it's a timeline there. Oh, it's 24 hours a week. $75 per hour," the Town Administrator said. The administrator recommended negotiating a short-term contract with the chief and returning a draft to the board for approval.

Board members also discussed short-term staffing steps the chief plans to take before leaving: appointing a sergeant (target July 7) and opening the detective position, and whether the regional dispatch contract and IT support arrangements should be revisited as part of transition planning.

No formal motions to hire a search firm or to approve the interim contract were recorded at the meeting; the board directed staff to invite two recommended search firms to present and to draft an interim contract for board review. The Select Board discussed scheduling firm interviews and returning to the board at an upcoming meeting to take formal action.

The board also discussed logistics: the timing of candidate recruitment given the chief's vacation, interim coverage, and the practicalities of remote presentations. The town aims to have an appointment in place by Labor Day but acknowledged that a full external search could move the final appointment into the fall.