Current Police Chief John Camerota (left) with newly selected Police Chief Lawrence Valliere. (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- The Police Commission met Monday evening in the City Council chambers for a marathon meeting to determine who will succeed John Camerota as the next Chief of Police.
Captain Lawrence Valliere was selected by the commission to be the next Police Chief, effective on June 22nd. He was appointed to the position over four other candidates within the police department. Those candidates were Captain Michael McCabe, Lieutenant Jerome Pitoniak, Lieutenant Eric Hall, and Sergeant Jeffrey Baillargeon. Each candidate gave a public interview with the commission while the others waited in another room.
Valliere and the other candidates all answered the same questions by the commission. They were asked about their opinions on performance evaluations of officers by their superiors, what the key is to developing a good team, what are the biggest issues facing police officers today, what is the benefit of having officers who are college educated, and why they were the best candidate for the position. Each candidate was also asked to list the responsibilities and differences between reserve, auxiliary, and special officers.
Regarding the performance evaluations, Valliere said that the Westfield Police Department does not currently perform them, but there has been discussion about doing so. He added that when he was an officer in Florida, his department did perform them.
“It was interesting. Guys had different takes on them. Some people didn’t trust them. I think it gives people an opportunity to find out what they excel at and what they do well at and where they may be deficient,” said Valliere, “Some of the downfalls are that employees sometimes don’t trust them because they’re not so sure they’re going to get a fair shake. They feel as though they’re in a different place than they actually are.”
He emphasized that he believes the evaluations of officers to be worthwhile, and that they can show the department leadership where an officer is best suited.
When asked what he believes the key to developing a good team is, Valliere said that one must get their subordinates to trust them. He added that he would have to lead by example and be honest with everyone he works with.
“You have to realize that you can’t do it on your own,” said Valliere, “You have to be honest. You have to lead them and let them know what the goals are, what the path is, what the direction is. Be honest and when you mess up and need to apologize, you need to step up.”
Valliere was asked about the biggest issues facing police officers in Westfield and beyond. He seemed to agree with the rest of the candidates in pointing to the opiate crisis that currently grips the country, Westfield included. He noted that with drug abuse often comes theft and shoplifting by those who deal with addiction.
He also noted that school safety is an issue police deal with as well.
“Parents are concerned about what kind of training and response the police are going to have if something goes wrong,” said Valliere, who has been the liaison for the public schools on behalf of the police department since 2013.
“I think that, since 1999, we have been ahead of the curve thanks to Chief Camerota,” said Valliere, “We have been doing active shooter training. We have kept up with the best practices that are going on in the country in regard to police response to active shooters.”
He also brought up the notion of body cameras on police officers. Westfield officers do no wear body cameras while on duty. Valliere said that the department as a whole has not received many civilian complaints. He is the person who deals with complaints to the department.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a dead issue. It’s expensive but there are pros and cons to them,” said Valliere, “Even among the public, some people don’t like police officers wearing body cameras. It agitates them and can sometimes make a problem worse. But it can also clear an officer from complaint or substantiate it.”
Commissioner Felix Otero asked Valliere if he believes college educated officers are in a better position to deal with issues. Valliere responded that he believes they do and cited some recent hires of new reserve officers who gave what he called excellent interviews.
“They don’t seem to be really aggressive,” said Valliere, “I don’t hear too many complaints about them.”
Valliere said that he has a degree himself and believes that everyone can get more out of going.
He was then, like the other four candidates, asked to identify and describe the different types of officers employed by the City of Westfield: Reserves, Special, and Auxiliary officers. Reserve officers take the civil service test and are placed on a list that is brought forward to the department leadership to choose from. Valliere said that the reserves are used to augment the full-time force as needed, adding that many of the reserves have their own careers outside of the department.
He described the Auxiliary police as volunteers for the department who receive all the same training as a normal officer, but without the paycheck.
“I can’t speak highly enough about them,” said Valliere.
Of the Special Police Officers, Valliere described them as retired officers from other departments. He said they primarily work traffic and construction details. He noted that Special Officers may be present at the Westfield 350th Parade if the extra manpower is needed.
Finally, Captain Valliere was asked why he believed himself to be the best candidate for the Chief’s position.
“My platform (since I joined the department) has been community, department, and self,” said Valliere, ”it’s where I started when I was 21 years old, and it’s where I stand today.”
He added that he wants to work to understand and work with the younger generation of officers within the Westfield Police Department.
“We need to express that we understand as a department that this is a stressful job, and these are stressful times,” said Valliere, “We need you here as well. Your fellow officers need you here. This community needs you here.”
He added that the secret ingredient to the entire profession is that one has to care about their job and their community.
“If you don’t care, then you’re done. You’re not going to be the police officer that people want you to be. What the city wants you to be. What the department wants you to be,” he said.
In a statement following the questioning, Valliere said that he has great respect for his fellow applicants.
“We may not always agree, but every one of us brings something here that makes our department better,” said Valliere, “I’m not here to interview against my fellow applicants. I’m here to interview for the honor of being the next Chief of Police.”
He then highlighted his 36 years of experience as a police officer filling many different roles and ranks. He toted his communications skills, in spite of his nervousness speaking in front of the crowded council chambers.
In his years as an officer, Valliere has been a reserve officer, a patrolman, a detective sergeant, a patrol lieutenant, a traffic bureau lieutenant, and a Police Captain.
“My last few years have been particularly interesting and challenging due to many new responsibilities,” said Valliere, “in 2012, Chief Camerota approached me and asked if I would be interested in overseeing the traffic bureau and becoming the emergency management liaison officer.”
He noted that he did not believe the position would be a good fit for him at the time, but he chose to take the job because Chief Camerota emphasized how important it was.
“This job is not about me. It never has been,” he later said, “I don’t need to be on the news or on the front page of any paper or website. It’s about what I can do to make this department great and get the citizens the best policing that they deserve.”
Valliere will fill the shoes of outgoing Chief John Camerota. Camerota has been the Chief of Police in Westfield since 1998 and has been the longest serving Chief in the city’s history.
“Chief Camerota makes this job looks easy. It’s not easy. It’s because he’s good at it and he’s been doing it for some time,” he said, “I’m not naïve. I didn’t just automatically throw my hat in the ring and say I want to be chief of police. If you’re not thinking about the possibility of the news being at your front steps when something goes wrong, you’re kidding yourself.”
