Officials in Rutland say Schenectady Police Chief Brian Kilcullen is their top choice to head the Rutland City Police Department.
The selection is contingent on the results of an extensive background check and contract approval by the city's Board of Aldermen.
The Chair of the Rutland Police Commission says they’re making the announcement now because journalists in upstate New York became aware of Kilcullen’s plans and the commission felt it was important to get the information out to those in Rutland.
Brian Kilcullen has been with the Schenectady police for more than 20 years. He was named chief in 2013 and has overseen a department of approximately 150 sworn officers.
William Notte, president of the Rutland City Board of Aldermen, called the Schenectady chief a good fit for Rutland.
Notte was part of the search committee formed to find a new chief and says Kilcullen rose to the top of more than 40 applicants because of his data-driven, community-based approach to policing. “He really seems to have lived and experienced and pushed forward in his community the sort of things that have made Rutland a much better place in the last three years," Notte said. "So he comes to Rutland with exactly the type of knowledge we want to pick up the baton and keep moving forward in the direction that we really want to go.”
If approved, Kilcullen is expected to start in November, replacing interim Rutland City Police Chief David Covell.
