Published January 27, 2021
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Select Board unanimously voted to appoint Police Capt. Nick Secatore as interim chief on Monday.
Secatore was appointed interim police chief due to current Chief David Breen retiring on Monday, Feb. 1. Breen recalled that the Select Board appointed Secatore as captain last August. He succeeded retired Police Capt. Karl Johnson.
“We had three great candidates in Sgt. Sean Donovan, Sgt. Chris DeCarlo and Sgt. Nick Secatore,” said Breen. “Then-Sgt. Secatore was the high scorer and he was promoted to captain. He was handling many of the responsibilities Capt. Johnson was doing prior to his retirement last January. He has been incredibly helpful to many people in the department, myself included. I am very happy that is going to be appointed interim chief.”
Town Administrator Rob Dolan recalled that Secatore graduated from Lynnfield High School in 1997. Before joining the Lynnfield Police Department in 2007, Secatore worked as a financial analyst for Fidelity Investments. He earned a mathematics degree from Merrimack College. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1997-2005.
“He was promoted to sergeant in 2014 and was the town’s first full-time detective,” said Dolan. “He was incredible during last year’s incidents. He was compassionate while dealing with both victims and the community as a whole during emotional times. He is also an expert in public safety information technology. He has taken on the role of rebuilding the entire infrastructure of the Lynnfield Police Department while working with Fire Chief Glenn Davis.”
Secatore thanked the Select Board for appointing him as interim police chief.
“The times ahead are going to be challenging,” said Secatore. “We have the new police reform bill that has been passed, and we have to move forward and implement many things included in it. Chris DeCarlo and I have spoken about that. Not only is he an attorney, he is also our investigative supervisor and an MPTC (Municipal Police Training Committee) legal update instructor for the training council. He is going to be instrumental in helping with that. We are going to be excited and enthusiastic every day as we work to move forward to make sure that the Lynnfield Police Department maintains its integrity and conforms with the new police reform bill in this interim period and beyond.”
Select Board member Dick Dalton expressed his support for appointing Secatore as interim police chief.
“It’s great to see a local young man get to the position where he is being considered for interim chief,” said Dalton. “I remember Nick as a young boy growing up in town. It’s great to see people who live here locally, know the community well and want to be part of the Police Department, especially in these times. I expect tremendous things from him over the next few months, and I wish him the best.”
Select Board member Phil Crawford said he holds Secatore in the highest regard.
“Nick has done everything right coming through the ranks,” said Crawford. “I think appointing Nick as interim chief is the right choice. I want to thank him for everything he has done and I appreciate him stepping up for this position.”
Select Board Chairman Chris Barrett agreed.
“Having grown up with Nick and seeing the wonderful work he has done for our community, it says a whole lot when we promote from within,” said Barrett. “I appreciate the work that he does.”
Barrett noted that the town has hired a Civil Service-approved assessment center and a third party vendor in order to conduct the search for a permanent police chief.
“The panel of professionals representing municipal government and public safety will evaluate the candidates and score their responses to a number of tasks and scenarios,” said Barrett. “After the exam is scored and weighted by Civil Service, a recommendation for permanent appointment will be made to the Select Board.”
Dolan said the search for a permanent chief is going to be “a fair and open process.”
Breen said it’s great an internal candidate will be appointed as the town’s next police chief.
“We have a great leadership team within the department,” said Breen. “I think one of them will make a great chief.”
Breen also congratulated Secatore on being appointed interim police chief.
“I want to thank him for what he has done for the department and for the town,” said Breen.
Barrett concurred with Breen’s sentiment.
“We have many people in the Lynnfield Police Department who can take over the reins and do it well,” said Barrett.
Secatore said the Select Board’s openness to appoint an internal candidate is “a morale booster for the lowest ranking to the highest ranking member of the department.”
“It’s a sign of the board’s leadership and the team that we have all built together,” said Secatore. “The entire department is thankful for that.”
Secatore told the Villager in an email that, “It is a privilege to serve as the interim police chief.”
“Throughout the past year, the Lynnfield Police Department and the town of Lynnfield have faced challenges no one could have anticipated,” said Secatore. “While this has changed the way we are used to living, all the employees of the Police Department have remained dedicated to the mission of the department. In the coming weeks, we will submit a budget that is within the fiscal guidelines set by the town and prepare to implement it. During these times of change, the officers of the Police Department are committed to operating our department without interruption, keeping the department moving forward and providing the services expected of us by the residents of Lynnfield.”
Retiring chief praised
Barrett thanked Breen for his “24 years of exemplary service to the Lynnfield Police Department.”
“He has been a wonderful public servant and has been there at all times to serve, protect and defend this wonderful community,” said Barrett. “We wish him and his wife many years of happiness in his retirement. We know that his legacy will continue for many years to come.”
Dalton thanked Breen for “everything” he has done for the town.
“He has been a great citizen,” said Dalton. “A lot of people will remember him for being a great chief but beyond that, he has been a really important part of this community in so many different ways. He has been a great friend to me, my wife and our entire family.”
Crawford echoed Barrett and Dalton’s viewpoint.
“The chief has been a tremendous role model for not only the entire Police Department, but the community,” said Crawford. “He has done everything with integrity and will be very much missed. I wish him and his wife Robin the very best in retirement.”
Dolan said Breen is one of the best police chiefs he has worked with over his tenure in municipal government.
“There has never been a harder year to be a police officer than in 2020,” said Dolan. “After the incidents we had in town over the last year, the level of professionalism and dignity displayed by our officers during that time is a reflection on the character of Chief Breen and his leadership. I want to thank him for his service.”
Breen thanked the Select Board, Dolan and Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin for the support they have given him over the years. He also thanked the former selectmen and town administrators he has worked with throughout his career.
“It has been a great run,” said Breen. “I have been in law enforcement for 38 years. I started here in 1994 and it has been great. I have met so many great people and I enjoyed the community so much that my wife and I moved here 24 years ago.”
