ROCHESTER — The search for the next police chief for the town of Rochester should soon come to a conclusion.

Depending on the availability of the final three candidates, the Rochester Select Board will hold 45-minute interviews on Monday, July 22 at Rochester Town Hall.

Assisting the Rochester Select Board with the hiring process has been Russ Stevens of Public Safety Consultants Inc.

At a Monday, July 15 meeting of the Rochester Select Board, Stevens said four candidates for the position completed an assessment based on issues specific to Rochester and its police department and were ranked from one to four based on their responses.

“The next phase in the process would be for the board itself to interview the candidates,” said Stevens. “I would say that you would want to at least interview three of your candidates. You do have the option to interview all four if you so choose.”

The Select Board decided to bring the top three candidates to the in-person interview stage.

Stevens said he supplied Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar with a list of potential questions specific to Rochester but that Select Board members could also ask their own questions.

Stevens said the candidates have already completed Zoom interviews with Public Safety Consultants Inc., answered essay questions and been assessed with questions based on Rochester and its police department.

After the in-person interviews, it will be up to the Select Board on how they want to move forward with the process, according to Stevens.

The Select Board decided on the date of Monday, July 22 at 2 p.m. This date is subject to change if the candidates can not attend.

“This is where you guys come into play. It’s you now,” said Stevens to the Select Board.