The group searching for the next Harvard police chief has received applications but has yet to interview candidates, Vice President and General Counsel Margaret H. Marshall said last week.

The group consists of faculty and administrators who are advising the general counsel. Marshall said in a telephone interview that she doesn't expect a decision on the new police chief to be made until the fall, and "it could be longer."

"The advisory group is looking at the pool of candidates and sifting through to see which candidates should go to the next stage," Marshall said.

The general counsel said that the search is moving slowly in part because of the outreach that the 10-member advisory group is conducting. The group has actively sought out suggestions for potential candidates, Marshall said.

In the meantime, Paul E. Johnson will remain as chief, she added.

Marshall declined to say how many applications were received, but called the number "fairly large."

Sources in the police department have said that Calvin J. Kantor, the head of the University security guard unit, is a top candidate to be the next police chief.

Even if he doesn't get the position, sources said, he will likely be the second-in-command within the new leadership structure.

But Kantor said in a recent interview he did not want the position of chief. "I have no intention of applying for the job," Kantor said.

Wellington Applies

A handful of candidates have said publicly that they are seeking the post. Most recently, former Northeastern campus police sergeant Christine Wellington said she had applied for the job.

Wellington was the first female sergeant at Northeastern. While acknowledging that she knew little about the Harvard police department, Wellington, who is now a lawyer in private practice, said she was excited about the post.

"I think [Harvard police chief] would be an extremely exciting and challenging position," Wellington said.

"I believe in creative thinking, in looking at the visionary aspects that leaders have to have," she added. "[It's important] to be able to be challenged."

Wellington has a total of 15 years of experience as a campus police officer, first at Salem State College and then at Northeastern. At night she studied law at New England University, from which she graduated in 1992.

Wellington termed herself a "strong proponent of the community policing model" who stresses accountability and sensitivity to the community, especially students.

As a campus police officer in Northeastern, Wellington received an award for her work as police liaison to the deaf community. She was also the department's senior rape investigator and served as a facilitator for discussions with students on multicultural issues.

Wellington recently left a position as the legal affairs coordinator at Casa Myrna Vasquez, the largest battered women's shelter in New England. Fluent in Spanish, Wellington worked at the Cardinal Cushing Center for Spanish-Speaking People in the South End of Boston.

Wellington also volunteered for a year as a lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of ColoredPeople's legal redress clinic in Boston.

"Being a lawyer itself can add anotherdimension," she said. "We [as lawyers] areschooled to really identify a lot of legal issues.For a police chief it would be particularlyhelpful in civil liability, criminal law,constitutional law issues."

Other potential candidates, such as MIT PoliceChief Anne P. Glavin and Boston Lt. Det. RichardC. Cox, told the Crimson that they had not appliedand were not interested in the position.

In a telephone interview this month, HarvardPolice Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, who has served asacting chief in the past, would neither confirmnor deny his candidacy. Asked whether he hadapplied for the position yet, Murphy would onlysay, "I'm sure there are a number of internalcandidates who are interested in the director'sjob."

Some veteran police officers told The Crimsonin March that they hoped to see Saul L. Chafin,Harvard's police chief from 1978 to 1983, applyfor the position. Chafin now works as police chiefat Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

In a telephone interview earlier this month,Chafin would neither confirm nor deny hiscandidacy for police chief. He would only give asomewhat cryptic response: "[Harvard is] a greatinstitution; it had a good department there when Iwas chief."

A source said that Chafin has put his house inTennessee up for sale. The former chief refused tocomment on the matter, terming it "rumors."

Student Advisory Group?

In the past few months, students have asked tobe represented on the advisory group.

Those appeals have not been granted, butMarshall said several students have been consultedthrough the Dean of Students office.

Assistant Dean of Students Sarah E. Flatleysaid "about" seven student leaders wereinterviewed in March.

"We tried to take a diverse sample [of thestudent body] and ask them if they could checkwith other students [and] solicit opinions,"Flatley said.

Among those selected were Sanjay Shetty '96 andMerry J. Chan '97, the co-chairs of the HarvardFoundation's student advisory committee, andUndergraduate Council President Joshua D. Liston'95, according to Shetty.

The students met in early April with the Officeof the General Counsel and members of the advisorygroup, Shetty said.

"The major concerns we expressed were that wewanted to make sure the police chief hasexperience in community policing or campuspolicing," Shetty said, "that he's sensitive toissues that they might encounter on campus--[suchas] diversity, sexuality...women's issues."

Shetty said he wondered why students were noton the advisory group itself.

"It was a concern that I had, but I think thatthe major reason was that everything has to happenvery quickly," Shetty said. "[Marshall] felt thatat the time it was the best way to select the bestchief; it is a very involved process."

Shetty praised the meeting, saying it was"extremely helpful" and let students know theOffice of the General Counsel was "interested" intheir opinions. But he said he was not sure of theextent of student influence in the selectionprocess.

"I don't know if undergraduates will beinvolved in the process," he said.

Next Step

Sometime over the summer, several members ofthe advisory group will meet with those candidateswho make it past an initial screening ofapplications, Marshall said.

According to an ad in the Harvard Gazette, thejob applications for the position were due onApril 12. But Marshall said the advisory groupwill still accept new, qualified candidates.

The membership of the advisory group haschanged since March. It now includes CambridgePolice Commissioner Perry L. Anderson, Cabot HouseSenior Tutor Julian P. Chang, Dean of StudentsArchie C. Epps III, Eliot House Co-MastersKristine L. Forsgard and Stephen A. Mitchell,Medical School associate dean of student affairsEdward M. Hundert, Director of Personnel forHarvard College Eloise S. McGaw, WeatherheadProfessor of Business Administration Daniel Q.Mills and Pound Professor of Law James Vorenberg,who is a former master of Dunster House.

Neither Johnson nor Herbert J. Vallier,associate director for finance and administrationin charge of the police department, is on theadvisory group, according to Marshall.

The inclusion of Anderson on the advisory groupcould bode well for the candidacy of Kantor, whoserved as superintendent of the Cambridge policeforce and executive assistant to Anderson. The twoare friends, sources said.

Marshall said the advisory group has metseveral times in the last few months. But for themost part, she said that smaller groups of abouttwo or three members have been doing outreach, shesaid.

"The advisory group has been reaching out to avery broad range of people, both inside andoutside the University, to help us identify thevery best candidates," Marshall said.

High-ranking Boston police sources have alsotold The Crimson that Harvard's Office of theGeneral Counsel has contacted members of theBoston police department's senior leadership aboutthe post.Crimson File PhotoPAUL E. JOHNSON