Masterson sworn in as police chief for the second time
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — After the recent retirement of Boise Police Chief William Bones, Mayor Dave Bieter called former chief Mike Masterson to ask if Masterson would consider serving as interim chief while a nationwide search goes on for a permanent chief.
Masterson said it took him "four seconds" to decide to do it.
But if you think the second-longest-serving chief in Boise police history is going to simply tread water for five months until a permanent replacement is found -- think again.
"I've had four years as a civilian looking at different issues in the community," said Mike Masterson, who was sworn in Monday as Boise interim police chief. "And I bring a new perspective back and so one of the things we're going to focus on is traffic -- traffic safety and traffic enforcement. I hope to work with our partners at ACHD, among others. There are more bikes out there now, more scooters, we're about to get e-bikes. We've had too many pedestrian fatalities."
Masterson said his traffic initiative will have three parts: engineering, education and enforcement.
I mentioned five months. That's how long Masterson can serve as interim before complicating his PERSI retirement benefits.
"You can't work more than five months or you jeopardize your PERSI retirement benefits," he said.
But Masterson believes five months is enough time for the city to conduct a robust nationwide search for a new police chief after the recent retirement of Chief Bill Bones.
"I know I’m going to be here five months or less," Masterson said. "I'm planning an exit strategy, so my goal is to continue to focus on community priorities, improve processes inside the department, and make sure the organization is running efficiently."
So no half-baked, caretaker top cop here.
"No, I'm chief of police," said Masterson. "Whether I like it or not..."
But something tells me this veteran officer likes it.
"I do," he said with a smile.
The Boise Police Department formally swore in Mike Masterson at a ceremony Monday morning.
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