City of Salem Announces Police Chief Finalists

Four finalists to meet with diverse community stakeholder group.

SALEM, MA – Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll today announced that the finalists of the recently completed assessment center for the City’s next Chief of Police have been certified by the civil service unit of the Commonwealth’s Human Resources Division. The top four scoring candidates of the nine who participated in the assessment process last month are (in alphabetical order):

Eric Foulds

Eric Foulds has served in the North Andover Police Department for 32 years, currently as a Lieutenant and commander of the Criminal Investigations Division. Previous to that Lieutenant Foulds served as the Operations Division Commander, with oversight of 32 patrol officers and supervisors. Lieutenant Foulds has experience in narcotics and criminal investigations, school safety and A.L.I.C.E, firearms licensing, officer training, and evidence oversight. He was actively engaged in emergency response planning and implementation for the Town, including in response to the Merrimack Valley natural gas disaster. Lieutenant Foulds is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has completed training in command and executive leadership, and municipal government and management. He graduated first in his class from Topsfield Police Academy in 1989 and has been with the North Andover Police Department ever since.

Lucas Miller

Lucas Miller is a thirty-year veteran of the New York Police Department, including 16 years in supervisory capacities, and has been a Detective Lieutenant in that department since 2017. In that role he currently serves as the task force manager for the NYPD FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he oversees a staff of 33 and all the administrative command functions of the unit. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Detective Lieutenant Miller started in policing with the Wellfleet Police Department before moving on to the NYPD in 1991. In his three decades with NYPD he has served as a detective squad commander in the NYPD Intelligence Bureau, as well as homicide supervisor, patrol supervisor, narcotics investigator, and community policing officer. Detective Lieutenant Miller is also a counterterrorism instructor for the NYPD Police Academy.

Scott Richards

Scott Richards has served as an officer in the Peabody Police Department for two decades, rising from the rank of Patrol Officer to his current position as Captain overseeing the department’s Traffic, Special Operations, NEMLEC, Records, Details, K9 Unit, and Training and Accreditation Divisions, overseeing close to two dozen employees and officers. His experience in the Peabody Police Department includes homicide, narcotics, patrol supervisor, criminal investigations commander, and traffic and special operations commander. In his current position, Captain Richards also has oversight of the department vehicle fleet and facilities and oversees Internal Affairs and the Peabody Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy. Captain Richards has completed numerous trainings programs on executive and command leadership, including multiple courses through the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Association the Municipal Police Institute, and the Southern Police Institute.

Mike Teeter

Mike Teeter is currently a Captain in the Seattle Police Department, where he has risen from the rank of Detective Sergeant in 2001 to his current role overseeing the Education and Training Section of the 1,800-employee department. Captain Teeter serves on the Seattle Police Department’s Force Review Board and leads department trainings on de-escalation, implicit bias, and procedural justice, among other topics. Captain Teeter has worked on training standards and policy recommendations for de-escalation and use of force reduction for California and less lethal force for the Los Angeles Police Department in 2019, and served on the team that developed national investigative standards for Officer Involved Shootings for the International Association of Chief of Police in 2015. He has completed training in police and executive leadership, management, and command.

The finalists will next meet with a community stakeholders group and with Mayor Driscoll, who will make the final appointment from among the four. The stakeholders group was convened by Mayor Driscoll in order to collect additional feedback and insight on the candidates. Its membership represents a broad set of perspectives and includes neighborhood association leaders, the business community, the City’s Race Equity Task Force, and other stakeholders. The group will be chaired by Acting Chief of Police Dennis King.

Community Stakeholders Group