Tisbury Police Chief Dan Hanavan, with the approval of selectmen, recently hired a full-time police officer to fill an existing vacancy and hired two part-time special officers to help cover shifts as needed.
Tisbury selectmen, who also act as police commissioners, last week approved a request for the conditional appointment of Kindia Roman as a permanent officer, pending completion of required screenings and a background check. Last month, selectmen approved a request to appoint Elizabeth Hourihan and Max Sherman as special officers until June 30, 2014.
“They are three really great people, and I was very lucky to have come across them,” Chief Hanavan told The Times in a phone call Friday.
Ms. Roman, a police officer in Florida for the last four years, responded to an online job advertisement placed on a website for police officers, Chief Hanavan said.
Ms. Roman has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UMass at Lowell and a law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover. Chief Hanavan said Ms. Roman is fluent in Spanish and is also familiar with Portuguese, which will be an asset to the community. He expects her to begin by the end of January.
Ms. Hourihan completed police training to be a special officer in Massachusetts, and she worked last summer as a special officer in the Chilmark Police Department.
“She still works for Chilmark on call, as she does for us in Tisbury,” Chief Hanavan said. “We are sharing her this winter, to help fill open shifts, such as when people are on vacation. Chilmark will probably get Liz back full-time come summertime, but we are enjoying having her in our department for now.”
Mr. Sherman previously served as a special officer in the Edgartown Police Department, Chief Hanavan said. He also worked full-time and continues to volunteer at Connect to End Violence, a domestic violence and rape crisis center run by Martha’s Vineyard Community Services that provides counseling, legal, and other services.
“It’s great that he brings his experience of helping counsel people in domestic abuse situations to our department,” Chief Hanavan said.
In addition to working part-time for the Tisbury Police Department, Mr. Sherman is the assistant hockey coach at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and a physical trainer.