MONROE - The name on the door still reads Alan D. Frank, but sometime this week or next, John Michrina will start what he hopes will be a long run leading the Monroe police department.

The 40-year-old veteran police officer emerged this month from a rigorous testing process in line to become the next chief of the Monroe City Police Department.

City Manager Robert Hamilton announced last week that Mr. Michrina, now deputy chief of the department, is the top candidate to fill the chief's position left vacant in April when former Chief Frank retired. Once he completes a psychological exam and a physical, the 17-year veteran will take over as Monroe's next chief.

Like those who have commanded the department before, Chief Michrina rose through the ranks to take over the top job, an attribute that he said adds to the ability to command effectively.

“The time to start being a good sergeant is when you're a patrol officer, and the same thing goes for the chief,” he said.

As a relatively young man in the position, Chief Michrina has the realistic ability to double the average stay of a Monroe City Police Chief before it's time to retire.

“I could easily [be chief] for at least 10 years,” Chief Michrina said.

But staying in the top job that long also poses some risks, such as stagnation, that the married father of three said he recognizes and intends to deal with by making a habit of varying his work schedule and occasionally taking to the street.

“If I stay in here and never go out [on the street], as the years go by, I'm going to get separated from the job of a patrolman, and that's our bread-and-butter position,” the chief said. “You have to watch that you don't become insulated.”

If Chief Michrina indeed is able to command the department for a decade, it will provide him a significant opportunity to place his personal mark on the department. While he wants to hit the ground running, his recent experience as deputy chief tells him that he has to solve one problem first.

“We've got to get our staffing levels up to where they should be,” Chief Michrina said. The department is supposed to have 46 sworn officers, but has only 42 on its best days and less when officers are off or on light duty recuperating from injuries.

“We don't have any jobs we can afford not to do around here,” the chief said.

Chief Michrina scored higher than the only other applicant, Lt. Barclay Stewart, in an extended testing program in order to become the city's next chief of police. Monroe Mayor C.D. “Al” Cappuccilli said the city would have benefited no matter what the outcome, but said Chief Michrina should bring a special vitality to the job.

“I think we seldom find someone that we can depend upon to leave his or her stamp on a position. I feel blessed that we've got someone who's going to be able to put as much time into a position as John Michrina is going to be able to do,” Mayor Cappuccilli said.

One of Chief Michrina's duties will be to work closely with the unions representing both the patrol and command officers in the department. As in most labor/employer relationships, there have been times when the unions and city administration have been at odds.

But as a former president of the Monroe Police Command Officers' Association, Chief Michrina said he has a deep understanding of the needs of those under his command.

“I've found both unions to be willing partners [in getting things done],” he said. “They approach the job with the understanding that we're all on the same team and we're all going in the same direction.”

While he hasn't formalized any long-term goals or sought to make immediate changes in department operations as yet, Chief Michrina said he has outlined a general direction in which to proceed, and that is following in his immediate predecessor's footsteps.

“I was very impressed with what [Mr. Frank] did for the department. He did a lot to professionalize us as a department, to bring us up to date technologically speaking,” Chief Michrina said. “I plan to continue on the path he set.”

Chief Michrina said he also plans to continue and even expand the department's push toward more community-based policing, begun under Mr. Frank.

The chief said he is working on moving some of the department's patrol officers from their cruisers to police motorcycles, which can allow them to be more visible.

First Published August 30, 2001, 12:53 p.m.