Paul Miles was hired as a sergeant of the Southwick Police Department on Tuesday night. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
SOUTHWICK – The Select Board announced during their meeting on Tuesday night that they’ve promoted Paul Miles to be a sergeant in the Southwick Police Department.
At the start of the meeting the Select Board interviewed four internal candidates within the town police department which included Miles, Roger Arduini, Michael Taggart, and Michael Westcott.
The Select Board planned on selecting a candidate after conducting the interviews. Prior to making a decision the Select Board asked Chief of Police Kevin Bishop if he had a recommendation. Despite acknowledging that it wasn’t an easy recommendation with all four candidates being qualified, Bishop recommended Miles.
“I feel Miles is the top candidate for this position at this time,” said Bishop.
The Select Board then agreed with Bishop’s statement and made a motion to select Miles for the sergeant’s position.
“I think Paul (Miles) had an exceptional interview not to take away from the other ones (candidates),” said Select Board Vice-Chairman Russ Fox.
The longest-tenured of the four candidates, Miles has been a police officer for almost 20 years. Miles holds an associate’s degree from Holyoke Community College and a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Currently, Miles is the court officer for the department. The experience has allowed Miles to learn about the courts system and handle cases that affect the community of Southwick. Prior to joining the Southwick Police Department, Miles had worked in Springfield as a special officer and worked with the District Attorney’s Office. Miles visualizes his experience of working with several agencies as a benefit for the sergeant’s position.
“I feel like I have the deep interpersonal skills to be successful for the job,” said Miles. “I’m able to see how those inner-workings take place.”
In the position of sergeant, Miles is seeking to improve the relationship within the community by having a better customer-service plan.
“Being mindful of our place in the community, we have to maintain that relationship,” said Miles. “Without the community, we can’t solve crimes.”
The sergeant position that Miles will be taking on will place him on a combination of the second shift and third shift. According to Bishop, Miles will now be a temporary sergeant until the probationary period for Lt. Robert Landis has concluded. A one-year probation, Landis was hired as the lieutenant on May 22 and officially started his position as lieutenant on July 1. Landis was formerly the sergeant detective.
