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3 men, one woman to test for Warren chief’s job
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Three men and one woman will take a multiple-choice test Feb. 27 that will determine who will be the next Warren police chief.
Capt. Janice Gilmore, who’s been a Warren police officer since 1989 and captain — one step below chief — since 2008, is responsible for the detective bureau but also served as head of the emergency-services division before that.
Emergency services is the division that includes patrol officers, sergeants and lieutenants who handle calls for service.
She became a sergeant in 1995, lieutenant in 2000 and captain in 2008. She declined to take the test for chief in 2009 when Tim Bowers became chief.
Bowers will retire in June after 21/2 years as chief.
Lt. Cathy O’Grady, who was eligible to test for the chief’s position, didn’t sign up by Wednesday’s deadline. She’s the commanding officer for the day shift and finished second to Bowers when the test was given in 2009.
The three lieutenants who signed up to take the test Feb. 27 are Eric Merkel, Robert Massucci and Martin Gargas.
Merkel is in charge of the support-services division, which supervises support staff such as dispatchers and records clerks and handles grant writing. Merkel, hired in 1995, became a sergeant in 2004 and a lieutenant in 2008.
Massucci is commanding officer for the midnight shift. He was hired in 1990, became a sergeant in 2004 and became a lieutenant in 2008.
Gargas is commanding officer for the afternoon shift. He was hired in 1989, became a sergeant in 1996 and became a lieutenant in 2010.
Some discussion has gone into whether an assessment should be used to help select the police chief, but the Warren Civil Service Commission decided to stick with the same method used in 2009 — a multiple-choice test.
An assessment involves an interview with each candidate conducted by a panel of experienced police administrators and allows a candidate’s past performance to be considered.
Using a multiple-choice test means that none of a candidate’s past performance — either good or bad — can be factored into the selection, noted James Fredericka, longtime member of the Civil Service Commission.
Chief candidates also do not receive bonus points for things such as military service or extra training, said Sue Burns, clerk for the Civil Service Commission.