Gallagher Stays at the Helm [VIDEO]

It's official. Interim Police Chief Paul Gallagher will stay on as permanent chief of the North Andover Police Department. It wasn't an easy choice, and selectmen almost voted to delay the decision until Friday.

Selectmen interviewed three finalists: Gallagher, Sgt. Charles Gray and Sgt. Michael Davis.

Candidates were asked a variety of questions including how their experience would help them in the role of chief and how they were involved in the extensive accreditation effort as well as how their scores on the Assessment Center tests would impact the role of chief.

Sgt. Michael Davis

Davis is shift commander of the midnight shift and is the officer in charge of internal affairs, among other duties.

"Basically from midnight to 8 a.m., I'm running the Police Department," Davis said. He spoke about his goal of bringing more officers to the department but also acknowledged that budget constraints may force the department to work with what it has.

Selectman Stewart asked him if he remembered, years ago, what he said when asked where he saw himself in the future.

"I remember you asking me that, Mr. Stewart, and I said I wanted to be chief of police," Davis replied, to laughter from the Board.

Interim Chief Paul Gallagher

Gallagher was next. He spotlighted his current role as interim police chief as well as commanding officer of criminal investigations.

Gallagher described the many complexities involved in becoming situated in the new headquarters as well as the rigorous process in working for accreditation -- North Andover is currently one of only 35 communities in the state with accredited status.

Gallagher said his goal, if selected was to build up the command staff through more extensive training programs. He said he also seeks to keep certain neighboring communities from bringing their violent crimes in North Andover and continue building neighborhood crime watch programs.

"We have to protect the town of North Andover," he said.

Sgt. Charles Gray

Gray was last -- the interviews were arranged by last name alphabetically -- and focused on his dual role as K-9 sergeant and being in charge of training for the department. He revamped the training programs to in-house instruction and reduced overtime.

Gray focused on his work on the department's day shift, by far the busiest shift for the department. The immediate need for the department, Gray said, was filling current openings with new officers.

"Everyone has to work together it's a team effort, and I'm able as a sergeant to relate to guys who are younger than me, guys who are older than me and guys who are the same age," Gray said. "I'm all about getting professional police officers together and making them the best department we can be."

The Big Decision

"First and foremost, our choice to stay in-house was the right decision, without a doubt," Selectman Watson said.

And that made the decision difficult, she added, suggesting they take until Friday to reach a decision.

Selectmen Dan Lanen and Rosemary Smedile did not participate in the interviews. Lanen is a police officer, as is Smedile's son.

Selectman William Gordon seemed to lean toward Gallagher.

"I think Chief Gallagher could be the perfect bridge chief, between Stanley and the next chief, who could be one of those two other guys," Gordon said.

Stewart said he was leaning toward Gallagher as well, because Gallagher has waited so many years.

"With all due respect, the chief of police should not be given to someone because he's waiting his turn," Watson said, emphasizing her high respect for Gallagher. She was also, however, extremely impressed by Gray and wanted to hold off on making a decision until Friday.

But Gordon and Stewart said they were ready then if she would proceed then.

"If someone's going to make a motion then someone's going to make a motion," Watson said, emphasizing what a hard decision it would be to make. "I'm just a tortured soul, I really am."

In the end, the motion was made to appoint Gallagher as the permanent chief, and the three selectmen unanimously voted yes.

Gallagher thanked the selectmen and shook everyone's hands in the room and talked about how honored he was to be given this opportunity.

In the hallway afterward, the two other finalists smiled and said they were happy with the decision.

"We think he's a great choice, and we'll stand behind him 100 percent," one of them said.