Lieutenant Paul Costello will take the helm as West Milford Chief of Police as of July 1. The announcement was made by Mayor Joseph DiDonato on Wednesday night. Costello was among three candidates interviewed for the position by the Mayor and Town Administrator Richard Kunze. Mayor DiDonato said, "It was a pretty involved interview process designed to get a disclosure of their skill sets and their attitudes. We thought that Paul Costello was a really strong candidate and we are looking forward to him becoming chief." Costello is the longest serving of the three having been with the department since 1974 and per the police website is currently part of the Special Operations Unit, the Search and Rescue Team and a part-time member of the D.A.R.E section (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Current Police Chief James Dykstra is retiring after 41 years of service to the community. His departure is mandated by state law which requires officers to retire at the age of 65.