Sullivan Appoints Interim Police Chief for Braintree, Search Narrows to 11 Candidates

From the mayor's office:

Mayor Joseph C. Sullivan announced today the appointment of Lt. Michael Moschella as Interim Chief of Police upon the retirement of Chief Paul H. Frazier.

“Mike is someone who I am confident will provide excellent stewardship of our Police Department as we continue the process of hiring a permanent Chief," said Sullivan. “The Town is fortunate that Mike has agreed to step up."

Frazier formally relinquished his duties to Moschella during a brief swearing in ceremony conducted by Sullivan on Friday afternoon at the Braintree Police Department. In making this interim selection, Sullivan noted that there were 22 initial applicants to the Police Chief position that has now been reduced to 11.

“I felt that in order to avoid any questions about the fairness of the selection process, the Interim Police Chief should not be someone who is applying for the job. Lieutenant Moschella, while certainly a capable officer with an outstanding record of service, did not apply for the permanent position,” said Sullivan. “We expect to make a final selection of the permanent Chief by mid-September”.

Interim Chief Moschella was hired in November 1996. He was promoted to Sergeant in October 2005 and Lieutenant in October 2008. He was appointed Acting Chief on August 17, 2012. He has BA in Management from Bryant and Masters Degree from Western New England College.

A retirement reception is scheduled for September 8 from 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm at Town Hall for Chief Paul Frazier. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased by cash or check at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall. Tickets are in advance only. No door sales. For more information please contact Jenny Frazier 781-910-8711.