By Dakota Antelman, Managing Editor
NORTHBOROUGH – The Northborough Police Department has a new sergeant.
Sean Montville was promoted to the role following a rigorous application process following the retirement of Lieutenant Joseph Galvin. This move was confirmed and formalized at a June 28 Board of Selectmen meeting.
“I’ve had the very fortunate experience to work here in Northborough,” Montville told attendees. “…I’m excited to take on this new role and to continue to serve the Town of Northborough.”
Montville graduated from Providence College with a degree in Psychology. He then earned a Masters of Business Administration from Assumption University.
Montville has been a member of the Northborough Police Department for five years. During his tenure, he earned recognition as a “Traffic Safety Hero” in 2018 for his traffic enforcement work, making 22 drunk driving arrests and issuing over 800 citations on 1,100 traffic stops, according to a police Facebook post at the time.
During this time, Montville has been primarily working a night shift, according to Police Chief William Lyver.
“He’s been hanging upside down in the closet when he sleeps because he’s been on midnights for a long time,” Lyver joked.
At least for the time being, Montville will now transition to the day shift in his new role.
Montville takes on his new role after emerging from a multi-step application and vetting process. That process started earlier this year when eligible members of the police department were notified of a personnel vacancy. The police department then worked with the consulting service Badge Quest, which specialises in supporting law enforcement hiring decisions.
Candidates took a 100-question multiple choice exam at the Northborough Police Station before then participating in a series of assessment exercises at the Senior Center. Those challenges tested situational awareness as well as their ability to make decisions and handle personnel issues.
Three police chiefs, who were purposely chosen from communities not directly connected to Northborough, evaluated candidates’ performances in that assessment.
Montville scored highest on both the written exam and the Senior Center assessments.
Speaking to the selectmen, Montville thanked his family, friends and coworkers for their support through his career.
Board of Selectmen Chair Jason Perrault lauded Montville’s performance through the vetting process for this new promotion.
“You’re under the scrutiny of these very experienced chiefs, and they’re not making it easy on any of the candidates,” he said of the assessments held at the Senior Center, in particular. “It’s a strong accomplishment to come out of that with their recommendation.”
