ADAMS, Mass. — The town could have a new permanent police chief by the start of the new year.

 

On Wednesday, the select board approved a framework for a candidate screening committee and heard a potential timeline for making a decision to appoint the next leader of the 18-officer department.

 

The board heard a report from Chair Jay T. Meczywor, who serves on the panel's Public Safety Subcommittee along with Select Board Vice Chair Ann M. Bartlett.

 

Meczywor said the subcommittee recommended that the board appoint a seven-member panel to screen applicants and recommend three finalists for interviews and selection by the full board.

 

"If we move quickly enough, we could potentially get the screening committee up and moving by early September," Town Administrator Nicholas Caccamo told the board. "We would want to get the job posting up right behind it. Potentially, by mid-November, the screening committee could make recommendations to the board.

 

"Potentially, you could be making an appointment by the end of the calendar year."

 

Caccamo reminded the board that interim Police Chief Timothy Sorrell, who joined the force in October 2025 to serve in place of then-Chief K. Scott Kelley, has a contract that runs through Dec. 31 with an option to renew for up to six months.