Chief Canario will be officially sworn in at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 8, in the Burnside Memorial Building.

"I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running," said Chief Canario.

In his two decades-plus on Bristol's force, Chief Canario has done a bit of everything and was the department's first-ever deputy chief. He was hired by former Bristol Town Administrator Anthony Williams and has served as a patrolman, undercover drug detective, patrol supervisor and adjutant. Since late March he has served as the department's acting chief, while Ms. Mederos completed a lengthy and at times contentious search for a successor to outgoing chief Serpa.

Despite the long testing and hiring process — which was punctuated by several missteps in the applicants' testing process — Ms. Mederos said Chief Canario is a perfect fit for the role.

"I have complete confidence that Chief Canario will continue to be an asset to the Bristol Police Department," she said Wednesday. "Our new chief has been well prepared to take on (his) duties. He has the knowledge, the support of his co-workers and the confidence of our citizens."

By Ted Hayes

thayes@eastbaynewspapers.com