INDIAN RIVER SHORES — The Town of Indian River Shores is a little closer to naming its new Public Safety Director after having received 17 resumes from across the country and closer to home.
Among those in contention for the post is the current interim Public Safety Director Lt. Tony Dudley.
Lt. Dudley was selected to serve in the position on an interim basis since mid-October, after the then-interim director retired. Lt. Dudley has been with the Town of Indian River Shores for more than 14 years and is a 29-year veteran of public safety, according to his resume.
“I believe that I have gained a unique and valuable perspective into the requirements and attributes that would be appropriate to assume the senior management position at IRSPSD,” he writes in his cover letter.
Lt. Dudley began his career in public safety in 1985 as a firefighter/paramedic and became triple certified in 2002, according to his resume.
His resume lists his community contributions, which include Habitat For Humanity, Meals On Wheels, St. Peter’s Missionary Baptist Church, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team, Disaster Medical Assist Team, and Firefighters Combat Challenge.
Lt. Dudley is also a member of the Florida Police Chiefs, the Florida Fire Chiefs, and the EMS Advisory Committee, according to the resume.
The other two on the short-list for interviews are Scott Lynch and Rich Rosell, neither local. Lynch is based in Orlando and Rosell hails from Point Pleasant, N.J.
Lynch currently serves as the public safety director for Ocean Reef Community Association, overseeing 48 staff members including law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, 911 operators, and security officers, according to his resume.
Prior to serving Ocean Reef, Lynch worked 25 years for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
“If fortunate enough to be selected for this position, I would embrace the opportunity to apply what I have learned during my career and lead the Indian River Shores Public Safety Department in its mission to being perhaps the best part of living in Indian River Shores,” Lynch writes in his cover letter.
Rosell, too, is currently a director of public safety. He serves the Town of Dover, N.J., where he manages police, fire/EMS, and emergency management departments, according to his resume.
Rosell says in his cover letter that he was brought on to bring together all the public safety entities under a unified command and to develop and implement new policies and procedures. He also serves as the Public Safety Department’s public information officer and the town mayor’s community liaison.
Before serving the Town of Dover, Rosell was the director of public safety for the Township of Springfield, N.J., where he oversaw more than 100 sworn and civilian personnel and managed the $7 million public safety budget, according to this cover letter.
“In my capacity as a Public Safety Director for two towns, as well as during my tenure as a high-level command officer with the (New Jersey) State Police, I have excelled in reducing crime and overtime, increasing morale, and creating efficient and effective work environments,” Rosell writes in the cover letter. “I understand which initiatives must be enacted to bring balance to a public safety function. While you may interview countless qualified men and women for this position, none possess the experience that I have in bringing about positive change as a Public Safety Director, both smoothly and permanently.”
Indian River Shores Town Manager Rob Stabe plans to interview the candidates this month and make a decision on the hire in time to have the person on the job sometime in March. Per the Town’s charter, the Town Manager has authority to make the hire without presenting the decision to the Town Council.
The Indian River Shores Public Safety Department requires its emergency response personnel to be cross-trained police officers, firefighters and paramedics/EMTs. The next director must be able to oversee an operation that provides all three services.
