New Police Chief In Amherst

Laurence Shaffer, Town Manager of Amherst, Massachusetts, is pleased to announce that Scott P. Livingstone, of Northampton, has been appointed Police Chief for the Town of Amherst. His appointment will be effective Monday, September 14, 2009. Chief Livingstone will succeed Chief Charles Scherpa. Chief Livingstone’s annual salary will be $105,000.00.

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Chief Livingstone has been a member of the Amherst Police Department for thirty-two years. He began his career with the Department as a Community Service Officer in 1977. In 1981, he was appointed Police Officer. In 1988, he was appointed Sergeant. In 2000, he was appointed to the Detective Bureau; later the same year, he was appointed Lieutenant. In 2008, Chief Livingstone was appointed to Captain in charge of APD operations.

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Chief Livingstone is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy. He graduated with honors in 2006 from Western New England College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement. He also has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Springfield Technical Community College. Chief Livingstone is married to Rhys Livingstone and they have two daughters, Catherine and Emily.
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Town Manager Shaffer acknowledged the terrific work of the Recruitment and Selection Team which was created to review candidates for the Police Chief’s position and to conduct the interviews. The members of the Recruitment and Selection Team included Gerry Weiss, Member of the Amherst Select Board; Terry Cunningham, Police Chief in Wellesley, MA; Pat Romney, Human Resources Consultant from Amherst; Reynolds Winslow, Chair of the Amherst Human Rights Commission; Roberto Marquez, Professor at Mount Holyoke College; Johnny Whitehead, Chief of UMass Police; Eunice Torres, Human Resource Director; and Bruce Carroll, Organizational Consultant for many agencies including the Massachusetts State Police. The Recruitment and Selection Committee, after two interviews, unanimously recommended that Livingstone be appointed Police Chief for the Town of Amherst.

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Shaffer said, “I am delighted to be able to appoint Captain Livingstone as the next Police Chief for Amherst. Captain Livingstone embodies the most important attributes of the Amherst Police Department. Further, he has demonstrated a commitment to the creativity and innovation needed for success during these difficult times. The Town was fortunate to have three excellent internal candidates for the position. I am confident that Captain Livingstone has the vision needed to lead the men and women of the respected and talented Amherst Police Department.”

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Questions about this release can be answered by Laurence Shaffer, Town Manager, at 413-259-3002.

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Photo of Captain Scott P. Livingstone