Former Lewiston police chiefs, top row from left, Michael Kelly, Bill Welch and Larry Gilbert; and bottom, Brian O’Malley and Mike Bussiere, and current Chief David St. Pierre. The city is launching a search for the next chief following the announcement that St. Pierre will be retiring. (Combination of courtesy and staff photos)

Since the day Lewiston police Chief David St. Pierre announced his retirement, there’s been speculation and opinions everywhere about who will succeed him and how the decision should be made.

When the Sun Journal asked readers this month what they’d like to see in a new chief, a broad range of opinions emerged about who it should be, how the person chosen should conduct themselves and the department, and how much a new chief can ultimately control.

The decision will be up to City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath, who added clarity to the community conversation last week when he announced that the hiring process will include a national search, resident input and guidance from an advisory committee.

A community input session will take place at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26, in the council chamber at City Hall, 27 Pine St.

After the announcement, some commenters on the Sun Journal page said the city didn’t need a national search.

“There are plenty of great candidates within the agency,” said Bill Welch.

Michael Reed took it a step further, stating that a national search was “like slapping the face of the officers that have put in years of hard work to advance their careers.”

But others agreed with Kaenrath’s plan of “casting a wide net,” especially as the city under Kaenrath’s lead has taken a more aggressive approach to public safety, seeing it as Lewiston’s clear No. 1 issue.

In response to the Sun Journal’s recent query to readers, Gary and Gina Goulet said the city should “look at all internal and external candidates,” choosing the most qualified candidate.

“I would want someone that is the most qualified with the city’s best interest in mind,” their email said.

When asked about the decision last week, Kaenrath said doing “a fully open, fair and comprehensive search will help us identify the best candidate,” even if that ends up being an internal candidate.

“This is a very important position for the city and public safety is one of my top priorities,” he said. “The residents of Lewiston deserve to know we are casting the widest net possible in finding the very best person to help tackle one of our biggest challenges. Above all else, I want to find the best candidate to support the mission of our PD and support our officers in all they’re doing for the city on a daily basis.”

The last six police chiefs in Lewiston came from within the department. The last chief to be hired from outside the agency was Greg Hanscom in the 1980s, who came to Lewiston after leading the Windham Police Department.

After Hanscom, chiefs Larry Gilbert, Michael Kelly, William Welch, Michael Bussiere, Brian O’Malley and St. Pierre were all promoted from within Lewiston’s ranks.

In his initial announcement about the hiring process, Kaenrath said he’d like the new chief to “further strengthen the trust between the department and the community.”

“Community engagement and input means a lot to me and so the public listening session as well as the advisory committee are valuable components of the search process,” he said.

Kaenrath said he’s hoping to fill out the five-member advisory search committee within the next two weeks. The committee will include himself, a representative from Lewiston schools, a representative with a law enforcement background, and two community members “reflective of the city’s diverse population.”

The committee will be tasked with helping to review applications and provide feedback throughout the process. He said he’s already received a number of inquiries.

Lewiston police Chief David St. Pierre will retire in September after 33 years in law enforcement. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)

‘DO THEIR JOB’

In response to the Sun Journal’s query, several people also offered up their thoughts on who within the department should be promoted to chief.

There were a few hoping to see those next in line receive the nod. That includes Deputy Chief Adam Higgins and then Lt. Derrick St. Laurent.

The city requires the police chief to reside in the city, and if they don’t when hired, they have a year to do so.

Higgins, in the deputy role since 2017, also has more than 30 years on the force, and is close to retirement.

Some commenters believe St. Laurent would be the proper choice, but when asked this week, St. Laurent said he doesn’t intend to apply.

“However, I believe we have qualified candidates within our current command staff who have strong ties to the community and a clear understanding of the unique challenges our department faces on a daily basis,” he said.

Others, like former School Committee member Ashley Medina, are looking for a more out-of-the-norm hire.

Medina said Detective Joe Philippon, who has a long background in community policing and supporting neighborhood-level programs, would be her choice to run the department, because he’s “well-connected, trusted, and proven to put people first.”

She said hiring from within the department would also “allow Lewiston to have a leader who already understands our city, its people, and its challenges.”

One comment to the Sun Journal said it would be “a waste of time” to put the search out nationally only to then hire from within.

While some responses to the query obviously did not take the question seriously — there were calls for Lewiston to hire movie characters Dirty Harry and  John Wick as the next chief — others had more straightforward answers.

“Someone who’s fit for the job. An experienced law enforcement officer,” said Noah Dixon.

Brad Birney responded, “Someone that will do their job and let the officers do their job.”

Others feel that perhaps the police are limited in what they can accomplish for public safety within the current judicial system.

“It doesn’t matter either way if people aren’t held accountable for their crimes,” Gregory Arneault said.

“(St. Pierre) did a great job and we should all be thankful for his 30-plus years of service,” said Rick Servidio. “We need someone with the same high standards that has integrity and can earn and give respect and be given the power to be able to enforce the laws. The issue to me is not the police, it’s the judicial system.”