PRINCETON — The Select board voted unanimously Dec. 1 to hire Paul M. Patriarca of the Framingham Police Department as the town’s new police chief, pending successful contract negotiations.
The position was advertised with a salary range of $105,000 to $135,000 in a three-year contract.
Patriarca will replace Chief Michele Powers, who had been with the department since 1989.
The chief will oversee a department of five full-time officers and six part-time officers with an approximate budget of $875,000.
Patriarca is currently evidence sergeant with the Framingham Police Department, responsible for daily operation of the evidence room and evidence officer. He has been with the department since March 2006, first as a patrol officer and then becoming a sergeant in July 2015.
He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England College. He also has multiple certifications from the Framingham executive program (leadership, command and executive leadership institute).
Patriarca is also a supervisor for the city’s Emergency Management Team in preparedness and response as well as being Strike Team supervisor.
He is an in-service training instructor for CPR, first responder and Narcan administration and has worked with command staff on national accreditation standards.
He also has completed initial Massachusetts certification for public purchasing officials program and has experience with fleet procurement.
Since 2017, Patriarca has been communication technician/ COMU supervisor responsible for purchasing, programming and tracking Framingham police department’s more than 300 radios.
“My dedication, professionalism and strong ethics have made me the police supervisor I am today. I truly care about people and my mission in law enforcement. I treat people with the courtesy and respect I would want for my family,” he wrote in his application for the Princeton police chief position.
Select Board chair Karen Cruise said the town conducted a wide search under the supervision of a Police Chief Search Committee.
“I also want to publicly acknowledge that we had other good candidates that would have done a good job for the town,” said Cruise.
