Clinton is one step closer to having a new chief of police, according to Phillip Sengle, chairman of the town’s Board of Police Commissioners.

The five-member board, which has been actively searching for a replacement since former chief Todd Lawrie retired earlier this month, voted on Sept. 22 to hire retired Guilford police chief Thomas Terribile as interim administrative chief to help manage the department. Deputy Chief John Carbone, second in command, has been at the helm since Lawrie retired.

“Tom is very experienced, with 39 years in law enforcement,” said Sengle. “He’s also a former Clinton resident, so he knows the town well.

“We feel having a second administrator is the wise and responsible thing to do for the town of Clinton,” Sengle added. “We believe he’ll be a good fit as we transition to hiring a new chief.”

Sengle expects to have a broad pool of qualified candidates by the Sept. 30 application deadline.

Though the Board is looking for a police officer certified by the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council, applicants for the job have hailed from as far away as Arkansas, North Dakota, and Texas.

Prospective candidates will be vetted by a panel of incumbent Connecticut police chiefs, who will conduct face-to-face interviews, known as oral exams. From those interviews, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association will divide applicants into three categories, including candidates who are recommended or highly recommended. Clinton’s Board of Police Commissioners will choose three or four finalists to interview.

To be hired, a candidate must receive a majority vote—at least three out of five—from the Board.

“November is our target date for having a new chief in place,” said Sengle, although he has not ruled out extending the search if necessary.

The Clinton Police Department was traditionally headed up by three administrators—a police chief and two majors. Last year, a decision was made to trim the budget and get more boots on the ground by eliminating one administrative position and adding a patrol officer. The Board of Police Commissioners is rethinking that structure and considering returning to a department with three administrators—a police chief, lieutenant, and deputy chief.

“But that’s a future discussion,” said Sengle, noting that hiring Lawrie’s successor is their first order of business.

The ideal candidate for the job, he said, is someone active in community policing and well-versed in modern policework, including crime prevention and education.

“We’re very interested in someone who gets involved in community activities, who will interact with the public, get out of the car, and talk to business owners and people in the park.”

Candidates must have at least 15 years of full-time law enforcement experience (at least five in an administrative capacity) in addition to a bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, criminology, criminal justice, or a related field.

Because the department had only one internal candidate qualified to take over as chief, the board decided to open up the search, Sengle said, “so that we had a basis for making an honest and open selection.”