INTERIM CHIEF — Former Brunswick Police Chief Jerry Hinton will serve as Bridgton’s interim Police Chief during the three- to six-month process of hiring a new chief, Bridgton Selectmen decided Tuesday. He’ll be paid $65 an hour, and work 32 hours a week in an administrative capacity.

By Gail Geraghty

Staff Writer

Retired Brunswick Police Chief Jerry Hinton, Bridgton Police Chief Kevin Schofield’s former boss, will serve as Interim Police Chief in Bridgton after Schofield leaves Friday to become Windham Police Chief.

Bridgton Selectmen voted 5-0 Tuesday to contract with the Tideview Group, where Hinton is a consultant, to oversee the Bridgton Police Department during the search process, expected to take from three to six months.

Hinton’s services will be provided at $65 an hour for a 32-hour week, with no benefits. He will provide administrative and business services only, and will not carry a weapon or have powers of arrest.

Mike Pardue, Tideview President and former Westbrook Public Safety Director, told selectmen Tuesday that Hinton is a “very stand-up, highly-respected person” and that he has the “greatest confidence in his skills.” In providing administrative support, Hinton will meet regularly with Town Manager Bob Peabody and may be involved in developing department policies if necessary, Pardue said.

Hinton is a 43-year veteran of police work who previously served as interim chief in several small towns, including South Paris, Sabattus and Monmouth. In several interim positions, he assisted in the hiring process of a new chief. He served as Brunswick Police Chief from 1993 to 2008, and was the Maine Association of Police Chief of the Year in 2003.

Hinton is also Past President of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association and a certified Instructor for the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. He has long served as a mentor of new police chiefs, and serves on the Training and Standards Committee for the Maine Chiefs.

Selectmen have not yet announced their plans for a hiring committee, and did not say Tuesday whether Hinton would take an active role in the hiring of the new Bridgton chief. In-house advertising was expected to go out Wednesday for the position, Town Manager Bob Peabody said.

Resident Corinne Davis pointed out that Schofield had served as a working police chief, going out with other officers on certain calls. Peabody said the Bridgton Police Department currently has a Sergeant, T.J. Reese, who is accessible on a 24/7 basis.