Wells follows father's footsteps as Milton police chief

For the second time in 20 years, the Milton Police Department will be led by a member of the Wells family.
Richard G. Wells Jr., 52, was named the department's chief by the board of selectmen on Wednesday night. Two of the selectmen, Marion McEttrick and Kathryn Fagan, voted in favor of Wells, while John Shields preferred Lt. Michael Collins.
Wells follows in the footsteps of his father, Richard, who headed the police department for four years -- two as acting chief and two as permanent chief -- before his retirement in 1992. Wells, a deputy chief since 1999, watched the decision being made on cable television, and he went to the police station after fielding a torrent of phone calls during the following hour.
``It's an honor,'' Wells said. ``It's humbling to think the town has the faith in you to lead the department.''
The chief position has been vacant since Kevin Mearn resigned after 15 years to become town administrator. Selectmen were expected to name a successor last Thursday, but because all three candidates were close in experience and excelled during interviews, they postponed the decision until last night. Besides Wells, the candidates were Deputy Chief Paul Nolan, a 20-year veteran of the department, and Collins, 38.
Wells said the first thing he intended to do was meet with officers and senior staff members.
``I'm ready for this,'' he said. ``I'm ready to meet the expectations of the selectmen.''
Many members of Wells' family are in law enforcement. His wife, Pauline, is a detective sergeant in Cambridge. His 23-year-old daughter, Erin, recently joined the Hanover police force. His brother Daniel is a state trooper and another brother, James, is a former officer in the Norfolk County Sheriff's Department. Wells joined the department in 1984. He was promoted to sergeant four years later and to deputy chief in 1999.
In 1997, he was selected for training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., and his classmates chose him to be the keynote speaker at their graduation. He has been a teacher and lecturer for 20 years and has written numerous grant requests, most recently one that resulted in the police department getting a new regional emergency command center.
Wells will take over once he and selectmen agree on a contract and a salary. Until the contract is finalized, Deputy Chief Nolan will continue as acting chief. Shields, the selectman who preferred Collins, has known Collins for decades. ``Michael has the qualities to take over the department right now,'' Shields said. ``He has a quality, he's serious ... Right now, he's a better administrator than who we're going to appoint tonight.'' All three selectmen said choosing a chief had been very difficult because they all knew the candidates and were sure that any one of them would do an excellent job leading the department. Fagan said she could have voted for any one of them but decided on Wells because of his managerial style. McEttrick said of Wells, ``It's his time.''

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