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BURLINGTON — Chief Thomas P. Browne is pleased to report that the Burlington Police Department promoted Capt. Daniel J. Hanafin and Lt. Matthew H. Leary on Monday, April 25.
Capt. Hanafin and Lt. Leary were selected for promotion as a result of an assessment center that evaluated applicants for promotion in an all-day event on March 5 at Grandview Farm in Burlington.
Assessment centers are designed to evaluate the knowledge, skills and abilities of candidates as they relate to the job assignments they are seeking. Prior to the start of the assessment center, a job task analysis was performed to determine the necessary qualifications for the positions.
The assessment center included various scenarios that placed candidates into leadership positions and had them respond to incidents, career coaching scenarios, command staff role playing scenarios and simulated community meetings.
Candidates who had the highest scores from the assessment center were then brought to an interview panel. A final selection was made based on the entirety of candidates’ performances, as well as work history, performance, and experience.
“I am pleased to report that all of the candidates we assessed and interviewed for promotion did very well,” said Chief Browne. “We were lucky to have so many qualified and dedicated candidates.”
Capt. Daniel Hanafin
Capt. Hanafin, who was promoted from lieutenant, is a 1994 graduate of Burlington High School, and a 1998 graduate of Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Public Affairs.
Capt. Hanafin joined the Burlington Police Department in 2005. He was promoted to sergeant in 2011 and to lieutenant in 2018, working as a shift commander.
Capt. Hanafin has been a member of the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council’s Regional Response Team (RRT) since 2011, and also serves as a team leader on the NEMLEC SWAT team. He also serves as one of the Burlington Police Department’s primary use of force and firearms instructors.
Capt. Hanafin developed and implemented the Burlington Police Department’s peer support program, leading a team of professionally trained officers who focus on the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of all police employees.
“Capt. Hanafin is well-known throughout our community, where he and his wife Angela have been active for years,” said Chief Browne. “Both Dan and his wife Angela serve as Town Meeting representatives, and they are raising their five sons in Burlington. Capt. Hanafin will undoubtedly remain vigilant in keeping the Town and Department’s best interests in focus.”
Lt. Matthew Leary
Lt. Leary, who was promoted from sergeant, is a 1996 graduate of Burlington High School, and a 2000 graduate of UMass Amherst, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. Lt. Leary also earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Oklahoma in 2019.
Lt. Leary joined the Burlington Police Department in 2003, and has worked as a field training officer, detective, evidence officer and firearms instructor. He was promoted to sergeant in 2014, and in 2018 he was reassigned as a detective sergeant, where he supervised the department’s evening shift detectives and served as the department’s liaison to federal law enforcement partners.
Lt. Leary has served on the NEMLEC RRT, and maintains certification as a Municipal Police Training Committee academy instructor who specializes in the legal aspects of interviews, interrogations, criminal investigations and criminal law.
Lt. Leary also serves as the Burlington Police Department’s Civil Rights Supervisor, overseeing the investigation of any allegations of bias crimes in town, and ensuring the department complies with state laws on bias reporting.
“Matt and his wife Molly both grew up in Burlington, and now live nearby with their son and daughter,” said Chief Browne. “Matt’s wife works with Burlington Public Schools, and his family has long had a vested interest in the success of the Burlington Police Department and our entire community. I look forward to working with both Lt. Leary and Capt. Hanafin in their new roles.”
Both promotions take effect immediately.