ZZ finds out Tough Enough fate
August 26, 2015Larry Harris
August 29, 2015
Senior Capt. Kyle Cressione will assume the role Saturday of interim chief of the Thibodaux Police Department.
Cressione served as interim chief in 2010, shortly after Mayor Tommy Eschete was elected and before outgoing Chief Scott Silveri was hired for the job.
Silveri is retiring after 25 years in law enforcement – more than four and a half of which were spent as chief. His last day as police chief is Friday, Aug. 28.
“Kyle served as my interim chief when I was elected back in 2010, before we hired Chief Silveri,” Eschete said. “And he did a great job serving as interim chief four years ago. As long as he was agreeable to do it again, I really didn’t look any further.”
Cressione, who is the highest-ranking officer in the department under Chief Silveri, didn’t hesitate to step in as chief.
“I’ve done it before,” Cressione said. “I understand the methodology that this particular mayor follows and I’m pretty confident that he trusted my judgement on views toward budgeting and actual enforcement.”
Cressione has nearly 20 years of experience in law enforcement. He is currently in charge of special operations for the department, which handles high-stakes cases.
Eschete said he prefers a young individual in his search for a permanent chief. He said he wants a chief who believes heavily in community policing, a strategy that hinges on strong relationships with the community.
“I don’t want a chief that sits in his office 24/7,” Eschete said. “I don’t want an individual looking to close out a career.”
Eschete said he will only be able to guarantee the incoming chief three years of employment – the remainder of his term. Also, the chief’s position is not part of the state civil service system, so the next mayor could remove the new chief at will.
Because of the limited guarantee for the job, Cressione said, he is not interested in remaining in the chief’s position permanently. He intends to retire in eight years.
According to the Thibodaux home rule charter, the permanent chief must be nominated within 60 days from the outgoing chief’s last day. The Thibodaux City Council will also be required to confirm the nominee.
