Mayor: Village Will Not Rush Police Chief Hiring

Now that Chief William Wilson has been for the same post at the town level, the village will be left with a vacancy, but Mayor Mark Epley said he is in no rush to fill the position.

Wilson will take over the reins at the on May 16, leaving the village police department’s executive officer, Capt. Thomas Cummings, in command. Epley said Suffolk County Civil Service will not offer the required chief exam until March anyway, so the village board is not under pressure to make a decision; however, he said, sometime prior to the exam the board may hire a provisional chief.

The village board will promote from within the department, rather than searching outside the village ranks for a new chief, Epley said. “I’m very fortunate because I have a phenomenal police department in the village — all quality individuals.”

Cummings, Lt. Michael Ryan and a handful of sergeants are eligible, the mayor said, but it will be up to the village board to decide how far down the ranks to offer the  exam. The board members will discuss the criteria for offering the exam during a closed meeting Thursday, he said.

“Hiring outside of the department is not an option that I would support,” Epley emphasized. “And I feel comfortable saying the board will not support it, because I talked to the board members about this.”

The board will conduct interviews and enlist an expert to screen candidates as well, Epley said. He said in 2006, when the village board was looking for a permanent replacement for retired Chief Jim Sherry, he asked John Gallagher, a retired Suffolk County police commissioner and historian, to meet the candidates and make a recommendation to the board. Wilson ultimately came out on top, and Epley said he would like Gallagher’s input again.

The mayor said Wilson is a dynamic leader and he is sorry to see the chief go. “He was a great asset to the village and he did a phenomenal job in five years,” Epley said.

Under state law, to throw his hat in to be considered for the town chief job, Wilson first needed to have the village board’s permission, and the board members gave their blessing.  

“I’m not a guy who believes in trying to stop someone from advancing themselves,” Epley said. “If I had said no, it would not have been fair to him.”

“I’m sorry to be leaving the village, but it was time for me,” Wilson said at Monday’s town board meeting after his swearing in to his new post. “I had a remarkable 25 years with the village and unprecedented support.”

“He’s a guy that looks for challenges,” Epley said. “The reality is that the village police department today is a much smoother operation than what it was when I first became mayor. We made changes in policies. We made changes in updating equipment. We’ve gone through significant staffing changes. We turned over half the department in that five-year period, and we made some very good hires and some very good promotions.”

“The guys are doing a great job, and that’s attributed to Chief Wilson’s leadership, and it’s a great legacy for him to leave behind a department like that, and I think he’s hoping to accomplish the same for the town.”