North Branford Police Department in Midst of Recruiting Process

At the Police Commission meeting on Nov. 13, much of the talk was discussing future staffing of the police department.

Detective Sergeant Ken McNamara retired in September and the North Branford Police Department is in the midst of hiring a new recruit. Chief Matthew Canelli received 161 applications for the position, of which 99 were considered.

On Nov. 9 and 10, the 99 applicants were scheduled to take the Cooper Test, which is a physical agility test held at Yale’s fieldhouse.

There are now 59 applicants remaining as 34 failed to appear and six failed the physical test. The 59 will take the written exam on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Looking ahead, Canelli said they will likely be going through this process again soon as Sergeant Chris Manner is looking to retire in the coming months as he is eligible to collect his pension.

“I hate to see him go,” said Canelli. “It’s a tough decision, but he’s got to look at dollars.”

Chairman Dan Troiano suggested allowing Manner to retire and take his pension and then rehire him.

“That’s not a bad idea, but it opens Pandora’s box,” said Canelli. “We’ll be losing a lot of history here in the next couple years. It’ll be a very young department.”

The NBPD will be looking to hire someone into the sergeant position, which requires a specific testing process. Canelli has already sent a letter to the South Central Criminal Justice Administration (SCCJA) to begin the process.

SCCJA then sends out a list of books to applicants, who have 60 days to study before a written test. After that, applicants appear before officers in other towns who administer an oral board. The top three candidates are submitted to Canelli and they will appear before the Police Commission in a special meeting.