PARIS — Town officials hope to schedule second-round interviews this week with three finalists for police chief.

Paris has not had a full-time police chief since interim Chief Michael Dailey resigned in March. The department is also in the process of hiring a new detective. 

Reached Monday, interim Chief Jerry Hinton said members of the oral board committee interviewed six applicants last week and recommended three for second interviews. The interviews will be conducted by Town Manager Amy Bernard, he said.

“It will be her chance to meet the candidates that we, the five-member panel, thought were the cream, so to speak,” Hinton said.

The town received 49 applications and eight candidates were offered interviews with the committee. One of the eight withdrew and another could not make the interview, Hinton said.

All of the finalists are from New England; one is from Maine, Bernard said Monday.

Hinton said he and the other board members had been impressed with the caliber of applicants for the position. 

“I was extremely pleased with the education, the background, the training that those folks had received,” Hinton said.

The town is aiming to have a new chief in place by Oct. 1.

Following interviews with Bernard, Hinton will conduct thorough background reviews on the candidates she selects. 

Hinton said if Bernard selected one or two candidates he would have two weeks to conduct the background check, but it would be much longer if she wanted information on all three. 

The in-depth check includes traveling to the applicant’s current location to gauge how they are received by the public, Hinton said. 

Once an offer is finally made, the candidates still have to work out a contract and undergo a medical and possibly psychological evaluation before being hired and confirmed by selectmen, according to Hinton. 

The department has also received about 10 resumes for the open detective position, Hinton said. Monday was the deadline for applications. 

The position was offered internally to qualified officers but they did not want to apply for it, Hinton said.