The Select Board on Tuesday interviewed the three finalists for police chief, narrowing their choice to the current interim chief and a Westborough Police Department lieutenant. After agreeing that the two were in a virtual dead heat, the board decided to vote for Hopkinton’s new chief at a Nov. 19 meeting.

Interim Chief Scott van Raalten and Clifford Luce, an administrative lieutenant with the WPD, emerged as the top two candidates.

The third candidate was Greg Schipporeit, a patrol lieutenant also with the WPD. Members described him as qualified but not matching the caliber of the other finalists. Member Brian Herr initially disagreed, putting Schipporeit in his “top two” before eventually favoring van Raalten.

Each candidate was given approximately 31 minutes to answer 14 questions. They focused chiefly around department goals, conflict resolution tactics, public outreach strategies and transparency.

Van Raalten highlighted his longstanding relationship with Hopkinton, which began in his youth as an Eagle Scout. It evolved into his more than 25 years with the HPD. He has been serving as the interim chief since July.

Luce portrayed himself as the “bridge” that would connect the community to the HPD and make residents larger stakeholders in decision-making processes.

Van Raalten has the edge of incumbency. The other contenders were asked to describe their interest in the position; van Raalten stressed that he has worked toward this goal his entire career.

Van Raalten highlights achievements

The interim chief began by describing what he has accomplished over the past four months as “a preview of what the future holds.”

He implemented a new artificial intelligence policy and introduced an AI research program, among other efforts. Officers received training on interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials under the state’s new PROTECT Act.

Van Raalten said he is working with the town’s information technology department to create a mobile app for officer communication.

“I don’t bring all this up looking for credit,” he stressed. “I bring it up to tell you that it shows the work that I can do under pressure and deliver timely results with limited resources.”

The interim chief confronted what could be perceived as his Achilles’ heel — his signing of the Flock camera contract that led to public outcry and the cameras’ eventual removal.

While there were “many discussions” internally about their usage to aid in investigations, van Raalten said he was unprepared for the “legitimate concern around data privacy” that arose.

“I’ve learned from that,” he said. “I’m only human. Police officers are only human. I made a mistake.”

Department goals outlined

Improved communication and increased community policing will help rebuild public trust in the department, van Raalten stressed. He hopes to add more officers, including an additional school resource officer and a “community liaison officer” for non-emergencies.

“I think a lot of the concerns with public trust is a lack of face-to-face communication,” he said. “But throwing jabs out there and making claims on something you’ve heard or something you’ve read doesn’t help the situation.”

A key goal is to implement succession planning so officers with leadership potential can advance, added van Raalten.

“I’m as close to being a resident without actually being a resident,” he said. “And I feel as though all those lessons I’ve learned over the past 25-plus years put me in the best position to lead this department into the future.”

Luce stresses communication, connection

Luce described his 23-year career as a police officer, 21 with Westborough’s force. He specializes in crash reconstruction and has served as an instructor in the use of different technologies.

Luce said he was attracted to the position because Hopkinton is an “engaged community.” He noted that he has watched Select Board meetings since January to learn the town’s structure, issues and culture. But he said he wasn’t totally committed to the job until he was deep in the hiring process.

Luce stressed his desire to “bridge the gap” between the Police Department and the community. He spoke of hosting community office hours and a possible show on HCAM-TV, as van Raalten did..

Like van Raalten, Luce said communication “is key in understanding the needs of the town.” He would plan on highlighting officers’ positive work as well as being transparent about any negatives.

As chief, he would plan to have a ride-along with each officer. This would allow one-on-one communication where opinions could be freely expressed and help him learn about officers’ goals.

He noted that “the chief should be held to a higher standard.” If there is misconduct within the department, that it is an officer’s “duty and responsibility to come forward with it.”

Added Luce: “There is no hiding behind a ‘blue wall’ or anything else.”

Regarding crime in general, he said police departments often “are last to get out the information.” That needs to change, Luce stressed.

One incident Luce described that stood out to board members was the implementation of body cameras for officers in Westborough. In the second day of their usage, a complaint against an officer emerged.

“We were able to have an unbiased witness,” he said of the footage. “[T]he officer did a fantastic job.”

Follow-through and active listening are skills that are not always used, he said. In this case, the department contacted the complainant and asked if they would like to review the footage.

In regard to the recent Flock camera controversy, Luce said he would engage the public and town leaders before implementing surveillance devices.

Said Luce: “Just because there’s new technology doesn’t mean that we need to get it.”

Luce added that officer training is the most important expense in the budget, but it often is the first one cut.

In contrast to van Raalten, who has organized security for the Boston Marathon for the past four years, Luce said the biggest event he coordinated was a town block party for Westborough’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Members debate voting plan

Before the interviews began, vice chair Matthew Kizner asked the board to take the vote at this meeting. This would prevent the decision from being influenced “in the court of public opinion.”

Other members, Town Manager Elaine Lazarus and Jessica Lewerenz, the human resources director, said their understanding was that the vote would be taken at a future meeting. This provoked debate.

After the interviews, chair Shahidul Mannan and member Joe Clark expressed hesitation. They noted that both candidates had similar scores, experience and performance records. They, along with member Amy Ritterbusch, wanted time to process the interviews.

The next Select Board meeting had been scheduled for Nov. 17. Because Clark has a scheduling conflict, members voted unanimously to move the meeting to next Thursday, Nov. 19.