Tobias, who has been acting chief since January 2007, is leaving because, he said, the board of selectmen voted twice in executive session not to make him the permanent chief. He garnered this information directly from two of the selectmen. As a result, he did not apply for the chief’s spot when selectmen opened the application process in January. A total of 85 applications for the position were received and a consultant was retained last month to help selectmen with the hiring process.
This article paints Tobias in a favorable light, downplaying last years summer violence against GLBT vacationers as well as the incident where Barry Scott was assaulted by officers*. After Barry Scott was assaulted he was then charged with resisting arrest, a charge which has yet to be dismissed even in full light of the circumstances.
The "retirement" of acting chief Tobias is seen as a positive change to those in the GLBT community who are concerned over how Scott's case and others were handled last year. Hopefully Provincetown can find leadership that will be able to look at the facts objectively instead of trying to defend police wrong-doing even before the facts have been made clear.
*The term "assault" is used because the police did not first tell Mr. Scott he was under arrest, or ask him to co-operate. The police simply tackled him, roughed him up, and still expect to get away with it. Visit the link provided for Barry Scott to be better informed.
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