Police Commission Chairman Paul Mangiafico said this week that the town’s search for a person to replace Michael Kehoe as police chief is proceeding well.

“It’s going very well,” Mr Mangiafico said at a September 1 Police Commission session.

An executive-level personnel search committee has reviewed the ten applications for the job that were submitted, he said. Applications closed on August 14.

Interviews will be conducted with the job candidates during September, Mr Mangiafico said.

The Police Commission’s plans to hire a new chief by mid-November are “on target,” the chairman added.

Mr Mangiafico has declined to disclose the identities of any people seeking the post.

The person hired would replace Chief Kehoe, 60, who will retire in January after more than 37 years as a local police officer.

Chief Kehoe has headed the police department since July 1999, initially as acting police chief, and in 2001 becoming permanent chief. On June 2, Chief Kehoe announced that he would retire.

In June, the five-member Police Commission appointed itself as an “executive-level personnel search committee” for a new police chief. That committee also includes First Selectman Pat Llodra, who is an ex-officio member of the Police Commission in her role as the head of the local government.

Other Police Commission members are Brian Budd, Joel Faxon, Andrew Sachs, and Virgil Procaccini, Jr.

The police chief reports to the Police Commission and also reports to the first selectman concerning daily responsibilities.

The annual salary range for the job is $109,000 to $116,000, with fringe benefits.

Since it was organized as a municipal law enforcement agency in 1971, the Newtown Police Department has had only four police chiefs, including Chief Kehoe.