Good marks for Tisbury chief in prelim report
Consultant Robert Wasserman, delivering a preliminary report on the town police department to the Tisbury selectmen Tuesday, gave interim chief Daniel Hanavan and the department high marks. In his comments, Mr. Wasserman made recommendations on improving policies and procedures, defining the selectmen's oversight role, and moving forward in resolving some longstanding issues.
The selectmen hired Mr. Wasserman, a West Tisbury resident and international security consultant, to review the police department's operations and management following the May 20 departure of former Tisbury Police Chief John Cashin.
Immediately upon Chief Cashin's departure, the selectmen appointed Officer Daniel Hanavan, a 19-year veteran of the Tisbury Police Department, as interim chief through October 12.
Mr. Wasserman said over the last several weeks he has interviewed many of the department's members and reviewed documentation of procedures and current best practices in departments similar in size to Tisbury's.
"It is clear to me that the officers in this department are competent," Mr. Wasserman said. Each has his or her own view of policing, he added, which generally drives how they spend their time when they're on duty. "That leads us towards thinking about the need for a stronger sense of direction about how some of their time is spent."
While members of the department mostly do a good job in handling situations that come to their attention, Mr. Wasserman said, "In serious situations, major crimes or related incidents, their performance is often exceptional."
Although turmoil in the department has diminished since Chief Hanavan has been acting chief, several issues still need to be addressed, Mr. Wasserman said. He will provide more details in his final report in a few weeks, after he has finished his discussions with members of the department.
Touching on a few of those issues, Mr. Wasserman said the department needs a new set of up-to-date policies and procedures, including clear, modern policies on use of force, pursuit, truthfulness, respect and treatment of persons.
There are several sources to work from, he suggested, such as the Massachusetts Police Institute or the Oak Bluffs Police Department.
Mr. Wasserman also recommended formalizing and enforcing the chain of command within the department. As recommended in his previous assessment of the department several years ago, Mr. Wasserman said promotions should be open to all within the department.
Otherwise, when someone is promoted without the chance for others to have the opportunity, it can be demoralizing to those overlooked. Not following a process reflects on the chain of command and the selectmen in their role as police commissioners.
"It's important that you understand, which I think you now do, that you make policy, you don't involve yourselves in operational matters in the department unless it involves policy," Mr. Wasserman told the selectmen. "That's the role of the chief, under the guidance of the town administrator."
Following a chain of command means that officers will turn to their sergeants first. Chief Hanavan already has assigned every officer to a sergeant, Mr. Wasserman said. If a problem arises, an officer should go to a sergeant, and if there is no resolution, then to the chief. Next step is the town administrator.
The selectmen act as the board of appeals. As such, Mr. Wasserman warned them against getting involved in discussion of the operations of the department. "You set the policies, and you act as the board of appeals, but you cannot get involved as a board at the operations level," he told them.
"Should Dan Hanavan be chief of police?" Mr. Wasserman asked rhetorically. "I have little question that Dan can grow into that role, and most members of the department respect him and want him to have the position. But, if you're serious about having open processes for promotion, you should advertise for a chief of police, saying there's a strong internal candidate."
Although other applicants from inside or outside the department may not apply, Mr. Wasserman said it will reinforce the selectmen's commitment to an open process, which is really important in rebuilding a sense of openness within the department. "I have little question that Dan can do well in such a process, but it's important that you do that," he concluded.
Mr. Wasserman said he would provide a memo outlining that process to the selectmen.
Mr. Wasserman's involvement with Tisbury and its small police department spans six years and three police chiefs.
In 1996 former Tisbury police officer Theophilus M. (T.M.) Silvia 3rd filed a discrimination complaint and subsequently sued the department and the town on charges of racial discrimination. The matter was settled in his favor in 2000.
The issue divided the small department and led to the departure of then chief John McCarthy. The town turned to Mr. Wasserman for help. His 25-page assessment of the Tisbury police department, commonly referred to as the "Wasserman Report," released in February 2001, described a department that suffered from dissension, low morale, and a lack of leadership.
Tisbury again turned to Mr. Wasserman for help in conducting a search for a new chief after former police chief Theodore "Ted" Saulnier resigned in June 2006 following several months of unsuccessful contract negotiations.
Officer Hanavan and Mr. Cashin were the two finalists in the last go-round for the police chief's job. In May, former Chief Cashin stepped down from his job three months short of the end of the his three-year contract after the town's selectmen announced that they would not renew his contract.
Mr. Cashin's departure followed a published interview in The Times in which he blistered members of his own department and criticized selectmen for their lack of support and for management interference.
Selectmen once again turned to Mr. Wasserman. On May 21, the selectmen signed an agreement with him to conduct a structural assessment of the police department and act as a resource for the town in police matters.
In the meantime, contract negotiations between the Tisbury Police Union and the town remain stalled.
Currently, the Tisbury Police Department is operating under a contract that expired on June 30, 2007. A mediator from the state's Joint Labor Management Committee has been working with both sides, without resolution.
Also, the town, former chief Cashin, and Sergeant Tim Stobie have been named in a complaint of sexual discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, filed on April 7 with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) by Tisbury Police Officer Kelly R. Kershaw.
