Chilmark police Sgt. Jonathan Klaren, Plymouth police captain Bruce McNamee, and Seekonk police captain Frank John are all finalists in the running for Chilmark police chief.

“They all stood out as being really strong,” Chilmark selectman Bill Rossi told the Gazette on Monday.

Public interviews are scheduled for March 8 at the Chilmark town hall. A time has not been set yet.

“We’re looking for a leader,” Mr. Rossi also said. “Someone who can manage a department efficiently, someone who can take care of the administrative needs of the department, someone that will have the respect of the other members of the police force, and someone who is going to mix well with the Chilmark community.”

The three finalists together represent more than 70 years of law enforcement experience, according to their resumes.

Beginning in 1989, Mr. Klaren worked his way up from special officer to sergeant in the Chilmark police department, with a four-year stint as patrolman in Gay Head in the 1990s. He is a graduate of Tabor Academy and the University of Massachusetts, with a master’s degree in justice administration from Norwich University in Vermont.

Mr. McNamee has served in the Plymouth police department since 1997 and is currently captain of administration. Among other things, he is a bagpiper in the Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums and a member of the Holy Ghost Association of Martha’s Vineyard, a goodwill society founded in 1930. He received master's degrees in criminal justice administration and public administration from Anna Maria College in Paxton, and attended the FBI National Academy in 2013.

Mr. John joined the Seekonk police department as a special officer in 1987, and has been captain since 2013. His career highlights, as listed in his resume, include the relocation of police and communication services to a combined public safety facility in Seekonk. He has an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Bristol Community College in Fall River, and completed a course in executive development at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

A three-member search committee that included Mr. Rossi, interim and former police chief Tim Rich and Chilmark planning board member Joan Malkin narrowed a field of 13 candidates to five, and held preliminary interviews this month.

Mr. Rossi said only two Island candidates had applied for the job, with others hailing from Georgia, Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

“Our advertisement reached quite a distance to attract candidates, and that was our goal,” he said. “Again, we feel we have three very strong candidates.”

The search began in January after former chief Brian Cioffi resigned in December.

Selectman James Malkin said Monday that a new chief could be chosen following the interviews, or at a meeting the following day.