BREAKING: Gallagher Appointed Interim Chief

Selectmen Friday afternoon appointed Lt. Paul Gallagher to be the interim police chief after Chief Richard Stanley leaves.

Stanley earlier this month. He had served as their chief on Fridays and weekends for more than a year and accepted the permanent position after they offered him $166,000 per year.

Ten people from inside the department applied to be interim police chief. Selectmen decided earlier this week to trim the applicant pool to two finalists -- Gallagher and Lt. John Carney -- so they could interview them publicly.

Selectmen decided Friday to make the decision then and there, rather than make the lieutenants wait for a decision. Selectmen Rosemary Smedile and Dan Lanen recused themselves from the meeting. Smedile's son Christopher serves on the police force, and Lanen is a police officer.

The three participating selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Gallagher, although all three agreed it was a tough decision for them.

"This is a very hard decision," Selectman Tracy Watson said. "Both of you are exemplary commanders, I say that not just as a selectman but as a resident."

Gallagher, 58, joined the North Andover Police Department in 1977 and has served as commander of the Criminal Investigations/School Safety Division for the past 23 years. He came to North Andover after serving

Gallagher brought years of detective experience with him to North Andover, having previously served on the Baltimore Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration in New York. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Northeastern University and attended F.B.I. and D.E.A. Academy.

"I've been in law enforcment since 1974," Gallagher said when asked why he'd like to be the interim chief. "I like helping victims. I like putting bad people away."

Gallagher will begin his stint as chief on Stanley's last day, May 16. Then the selectmen will begin the process of looking for a permanent police chief. In the event that Gallagher is not chosen as permanent police chief, he will be able to return to his lieutenant role.