On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the Town of Brookline publicly posted applications for Chief of Police, which marked the beginning of the search for a permanent occupant of the position. The search follows the Oct. 14 termination of former Chief Ashley Gonzalez and the subsequent appointment of former Deputy Superintendent of Police Jennifer Paster as acting chief.

As applications are received, they will be reviewed by a screening panel composed of five community members: Town Meeting Members Karen Ambrose, C. Scott Ananian and Joslin Murphy, Select Board Member Mike Sandman and Brookline Community Foundation Director Aba Taylor. The panel’s responsibility is to recommend a candidate to Town Administrator Chas Carey.

In a memorandum sent to the Select Board, Brookline’s governing body, Carey wrote that he hopes the process of recruiting a new police chief is not only comprehensive, but also garners the trust of the community.

“I have three goals in selecting a candidate for consideration: expediency, transparency and thoroughness. I want to reach the right decision, through a fair and transparent process, as soon as possible, without cutting corners or omitting any necessary background checks [and] investigations,” Carey said. “I also want the ultimately successful candidate to know that they have earned the position, leaving no room for doubt in the minds of the Department’s membership or the broader community as to their suitability for the job.”

The deadline for applications is Friday, Feb. 11, although immediate consideration will be granted to applications received before Wednesday, Feb. 1. Following Feb. 11, the application pool will be narrowed, and the remaining applicants will submit a written exercise to be anonymously reviewed by Carey and the screening panel.

The screening panel then plans to interview its candidates. Feedback from the interview, in conjunction with a score for the writing exercise, will be utilized to determine which applicants will participate in a simulated interview with the Select Board, in which Carey and the panel will stand in as members or public commenters.

Lastly, after the completion of thorough background checks, the screening panel will recommend its preferred candidate to Carey, who will present the selected candidate to the Select Board in early March.

Carey, in an advertisement for the position, indicated his desire for a police chief committed to working with and respecting the town’s diverse community.

“The successful candidate will be expected to expand upon the innovative policing practices and community engagement efforts of the department, and to have a proven track record of openness, transparency, and working with diverse communities,” Carey wrote. “The new chief must be well versed in best practices in policing and have the ability to work collaboratively as a part of the town’s management team in addressing issues of public safety in an inclusive, democratic governing environment.”