PLATTSBURGH — The next chief for the City of Plattsburgh’s Police Department could come from out of state.
Michael Manley is currently a captain with Vermont State Police, a rank he has held since August 2016, according to his resume the city released Wednesday. Whether he gets the job depends on the City Council, which is scheduled to vote on his appointment today.
ELEMENTS OF CAREER
Manley will additionally need to score in the top three of an open competitive civil service exam, complete Department of Criminal Justice Services training and other state requirements, have his personnel records reviewed and relocate to Clinton County before he can serve as chief.
Manley noted his experience and approach to community policing in his cover letter as why he would be a good fit for the job.
“Developing policy and implementing new public safety programs and providing 24/7 coverage while ensuring positive customer relations are all elements of my career,” Manley said in the letter. “The Vermont State Police has been a national leader in fair and impartial policing, and I would bring that experience with me to promote equity and inclusion.”
Manley, 43, has served in a variety of roles since joining Vermont State Police in July of 2000, including as an arson unit detective sergeant, New Haven Barracks’ lieutenant and commander, B Troop commander, special operations commander and administrative services commander.
In his latest position as administrative services commander, his resume said, Manley managed an $800,000 project to outfit all state troopers with body cameras in 2020, is the chair of the Vermont State Police Use of Force Committee, which evaluates all incidents of use of force in the state, since 2018, is a sitting member on the Vermont School Crisis Planning Committee, coordinated state building projects and more.
As a special operations commander, Manley led 13 teams, including Emergency Services Unit, Traffic Safety and Recreational Services Unit. Manley also managed the creation of a critical action team to respond, “responsibly to protests and events,” his resume said.
NY NATIVE
While Manley has spent the last 21 years in Vermont State Police, he originally comes from New York. He graduated from Whitesboro High School in Marcy, Oneida County, before attending Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he received a degree in criminal justice with a minor in sociology.
If appointed, Manley would earn $122,000 as a starting salary, Mayor Chris Rosenquest said in a memo to councilors. Rosenquest previously said a new chief would earn between $111,000 and $124,000.
Rosenquest told the Press-Republican Manley’s extensive experience separated him as a candidate.
“Somebody with six years in the Vermont State Police as a high-ranking captain with federal security clearance, extensive command experience, administrative experience, budgeting, those are all things that we are looking for in a chief,” the mayor said.
“Compared to other candidates, he certainly rose to the top. He was one of the two final candidates that were submitted for recommended hire to my office after hours of deliberation and interviewing and discussions,” Rosenquest continued.
“Certainly, the underlying concern is hiring the unknown, but after all of the research that I did, the selection committee did and the background check, I felt like it was a very well-thought-out professional, thorough approach.”
Rosenquest’s pick for chief could mark the end of a near eight-month search after the city’s previous chief, Levi Ritter, left the department on April 26.
— Staff Writer Cara Chapman contributed to this report
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