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Glocester accepts police chief's retirement, promotes lieutenant and outlines hiring process
Summary
The Glocester Town Council accepted Chief Joseph Delpreet's retirement effective May 2, 2026, approved the promotion of Lieutenant Jeffrey Jensen to captain effective March 15, and discussed a two-step hiring process for a new police chief, including a screening committee to rank candidates.
The Glocester Town Council on March 5 accepted the retirement letter of Chief Joseph Delpreet, who indicated his last duty date as May 1 and retirement effective May 2, 2026. The council moved with thanks to accept his retirement and acknowledged his 16 years leading the town's police department and 40 years in law enforcement.
The council also approved a promotion requested by the chief: Lieutenant Jeffrey Jensen was promoted to the rank of captain effective March 15, 2026. Councilors noted the captain role is nonunion and mirrors the current collective bargaining agreement in wages and benefits.
Councilors spent substantial time outlining the process to hire the next police chief. After discussing past practice, members favored a two-step approach: a screening committee to review and rank applications (recommended members included two councilors, the town clerk, the police captain or a neutral law-enforcement professional, the HR director and a potential community member), followed by council interviews of finalists. Councilors emphasized conflict-of-interest disclosures (asking potential panelists whether they know applicants) and the integrity of the process; the meeting record shows a motion to form a screening committee and guidance on rank-based evaluation.
The council also approved a part-time dispatcher appointment and noted other personnel actions in the police department as part of transition planning.
Why it matters: Chief Delpreet's planned retirement triggers a significant local hiring process for a highly visible municipal leader. Councilors stressed balancing community familiarity and professional qualifications while preventing favoritism in the selection process.
What the council did: Accepted the chief's retirement, promoted Lieutenant Jensen to captain, and set parameters for a screening committee and selection process; specific dates for candidate recruitment and interviews were to be determined.
Next steps: The council will finalize screening-committee membership and selection criteria, authorize recruitment per HR policy, and schedule interviews for finalists.
