Meet The 3 Milford Police Chief Final Candidates

MILFORD, MA — After a nearly year-long search process, the names of the three finalists to become Milford's next police chief have been made public.

The Milford Select Board will meet Thursday to interview the three people in line to take over for Chief James Falvey, who is retiring at the end of September. Falvey is Milford's third chief since 2019, but has been serving an interim role since the Select Board fired former chief Michael Pighetti two years ago.

A police chief search committee led by Milford Select Board member Paul Mazzuchelli began meeting in January to find the next chief, knowing Falvey would retire in September. The committee hired the firm Public Safety Consultants to find candidates. Nineteen people applied for the job and six were chosen as semifinalists — although one withdrew after taking a police chief job elsewhere.

The three finalists who will be interviewed this week are:

• Benjamin Murphy, a retired deputy police chief from New Britain, Conn.
• Milford Deputy Chief John Sanchioni
• Milford Deputy Chief Robert Tusino

The Milford Select Board will hold half-hour interviews with each candidate beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday. After the interviews, the board members will hash out the steps for hiring the chief — whether that's taking a vote on Thursday or waiting until a meeting later in September.

Milford last conducted a national search for a chief following the 2019 resignation of Tom O'Loughlin, who is now a member of the select board. The candidate picked for the job in 2020 turned down the town's offer, leading to Pighetti being elevated from interim chief to permanent chief. His tenure ended in October 2021, and Falvey was made interim chief.