Town of Canton Select Board announces new Police Chief to department; here are the details

CANTON — The Select Board has announced that Michael K. Daniels will lead the Canton Police Department as its new Police Chief.

Earlier this year, the Town of Canton launched the search, and residents had the opportunity to weigh in on the characteristics they wanted to see in the Department’s next leader. 

Several finalists embodied these characteristics, and the Select Board chose the individual they believe has the right combination of experience and command presence.

Chief Daniels has spent his career leading change in police organizations. He comes to Canton from Oxford, where as Chief he implemented 21st century policing policies and created an agency built on accountability, transparency, and community trust.

The Select Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to appoint Chief Daniels. He will succeed Interim Police Chief Joseph Perkins, who has led the Department since June following a 35-year career in the Middleborough Police Department.

“The Town of Canton would like to thank interim Police Chief Joe Perkins, who has done an outstanding job guiding the department through this transition to find a new permanent chief,” said Canton Town Administrator Charles E. Doody.

Perkins succeeded Chief Helena Rafferty, who retired from the Department on June 30.

“First, we’d like to extend our sincerest gratitude to Joseph Perkins, who led our Police Department with professionalism and integrity as we searched for a permanent chief,” said Select Board Chair John McCourt. “The residents of Canton expect and deserve steady, competent and transparent law enforcement leadership. Chief Perkins helped to shore up the foundation while we held an exhaustive and transparent search and evaluation process. His service over the past six months has been invaluable and will ultimately help to ensure a running start for our new Department leader, Chief Daniels.”

The Town hosted a community forum in September to gather feedback from residents and stakeholders regarding Canton’s priorities, concerns and desired qualifications for the next Chief.

Incoming Chief Daniels brings more than 26 years of policing experience, including leadership of a 40-person agency. He assured the Canton Select Board that he knew how to steady an organization, set high standards, and guide the department through reform.

As leader of the Oxford Police Department, he removed the department from Civil Service, implemented plans to regionalize the local communications center, cut citizen complaints by 70%, increased community engagement, and created a Career Growth & Development Plan.

He also positioned the department for full accreditation, an important benchmark by which police departments strive to meet and exceed established best practices around the country.

“Chief Daniels’ resume reflected exactly the sort of experience we were looking for,” said Chair McCourt. “This candidate emerged from a field of very competent applicants, but the Select Board was quickly convinced that Chief Daniels was the right choice to be the next leader of the Canton Police Department.”

Before taking the helm in Oxford, Chief Daniels worked his way up through the ranks of the Westborough Police Department as Patrol Sergeant and then Administrative Lieutenant. In Westborough, he managed community engagement, public information, internal affairs, procurement strategy, animal control and the public safety communications center.

“I’ve built my reputation on setting expectations, holding people accountable, and mentoring the next generation of leaders,” said Chief Daniels. “Beyond my own departments, I serve on the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission Training Committee, where I help agencies across the state adopt best practices. I’ve also served as a Civil Rights Officer, helping to strengthen communication between departments and the communities they serve. I look forward to serving the residents of Canton as the Police Department’s new Chief.”

In addition to the community listening session, the Town of Canton also launched a Community Survey, seeking input from a broad spectrum of community stakeholders to guide the Select Board in its decision. And to guarantee a thorough and professional search, the Town engaged Public Safety Consultants LLC to assist with the recruitment and assessment process.

The selection process included an extensive resume review, written exercises, oral interviews, and an executive-level assessment center.

Among the candidates for chief included Canton Police Lt. Charles Rae.

“We’d all like to thank Lt. Charles Rae, whose candidacy for this position helped to make this an incredibly competitive selection process,” said Town Administrator Doody. “Both candidates, Lt. Rae and Chief Daniels were very well qualified, and both delivered strong interviews. Chief Daniels’ obvious command presence, communications skills and experience leading the Oxford Police Department simply set him apart from the other candidates who participated in the hiring process. We would like to thank all of the candidates who went through the various phases of the hiring process, and in particular Lt. Rae, who we believe has a bright future in the Canton Police Department.”

Chief Daniels will be required to meet all Municipal Police Training Committee and Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training certification requirements, must give his 30-day notice to Oxford, agree to a contract with the Town of Canton, pass a background check and pre-employment physical.

The Canton Select Board is hoping for a February swearing-in ceremony if all goes smoothly. Interim Chief Perkins will stay on the job until the process is complete, and will likely step down after a brief, still-to-be-determined transition period.

The Canton Police Department has been under scrutiny as of late involving alleged mishandling of the investigation into Officer John O’Keefe’s death, leading to an independent audit that found serious crime scene protocol errors.