The Haines Borough Public Safety Commission met Wednesday to hear what the community wants of its next police chief, and apparently it’s interim chief Robert Griffiths.

Mayor Jan Hill said she has received a document with more than 50 signatures from residents who want the borough to encourage Griffiths to stay.

Griffiths this week said he would make a decision before November on whether to seek the job permanently.

Assembly members, residents and Sgt. Josh Dryden on Wednesday spoke about the qualities they believe make Griffiths a good fit.

Dryden, who has eight years of policing experience and has worked for the Haines Police Department since March 2014, called Griffiths “a breath of fresh air” and said he is a “working chief” who goes out on calls and makes arrests like the rest of the officers. Last week, Dryden said, Griffiths helped with a 3 a.m. domestic violence call and was back in the office a couple hours later.

“He is one of the best supervisors I have ever worked with,” Dryden said. “I hope he stays.”

Dryden also pointed to Griffiths’ extensive experience, both in large Alaskan communities like Anchorage and small towns like Cordova.

Resident Don Turner called Griffiths “honest” and “straight-forward,” and said he doesn’t see a need for hiring a headhunting firm to find a new chief if Griffiths is willing to stay in Haines.

Debra Schnabel urged the commission to interview Griffiths about what he thinks Haines needs. “If he thinks that we need him, I would like to encourage you to consider that seriously,” she said.

Assembly member Diana Lapham commented that she was “pleasantly surprised” when she recently realized she hadn’t heard negative comments about the department in quite some time.

“I have not heard any derogatory things about the chief or the department, and that’s a huge step forward in the right direction for Haines,” Lapham said.

She said Griffiths is easy to talk to and honest. “He’s going to tell you what you don’t want to know (and) what you want to know,” Lapham said.

After the meeting, Griffiths reeled from the positive feedback.

“I’m not sure I can stand up right now because my head is so swollen,” Griffiths joked. “It’s very encouraging to get positive feedback from the investment that you are making, because it’s a lot of work. And having people say that it’s working or that they are noticing a difference, that makes me feel good.”

Griffiths noted that he’s only been on the job since late May. “It hasn’t been very long. We’re still getting started,” he said.

The possibility of staying on as chief permanently is “on the table,” Griffiths said. “It’s an active discussion item in our household and other places,” including with manager David Sosa, he said.

While some speakers focused on Griffiths at Wednesday’s meeting, others offered more general feedback on the traits they would like to see in the next chief. Suggestions included a knowledge of the Constitution, a common-sense approach to policing, and good communication skills.

Assembly candidate Margaret Friedenauer said she would prefer a chief who is open to public inquiry from residents, the media and other borough officials. She also suggested seating a member of the public on the police chief hiring committee, to continue public input through the entire process.

Discussion at the meeting tended to focus on what residents would like to see in the next chief, not the problems that occurred in the past, as public safety commission chair Jim Stanford opened the meeting by urging everyone “to speak in a positive way” and “not talk (about) the history of what has gone on to this point.”

“All the negative comments that come out of the public I think do more harm than good. It’s important to be critical sometimes, but also a police officer or police chief like anybody else needs positive reinforcement,” Stanford said.

At one point, Stanford cut off resident Paul Nelson when Nelson was speaking about how former police chief Gary Lowe was hired. “Could you keep it positive? How do we go from here?” Stanford asked.

Prior to being steered into a more positive direction, Nelson quoted philosopher George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”