Police Chief Richard Stanley has been out on medical leave since June, and it is unclear when he will return to work.

Town officials are mum on the subject. Both Town Administrator Derek Sullivan and Selectmen Chair Peter Teitelbaum declined to comment, though Sullivan noted: "We all look forward to Chief Stanley's return."

Stanley could not be reached for comment. The nature of his medical issue is unclear.

Wareham Police Lt. Kevin Walsh was appointed acting chief on July 19, according to a memo that Sullivan sent to the Board of Selectmen. Lt. John Walcek is serving as the town's acting emergency management director, which is part of the chief's duties.

Stanley's tenure in Wareham has been fraught with controversy. Arriving in 2009 as interim chief while still holding the full-time chief's job in North Andover, he was appointed to the position permanently in 2011 -- with a $166,000 salary that put him among the top five highest-paid chiefs in Massachusetts.

Stanley was hired as part-time interim chief following former-Chief Thomas Joyce's retirement in June of 2009. (Joyce retired after butting heads with the Selectmen at the time, and now serves as fire chief in Marion.)

Originally, Stanley said he had no intention of seeking the full-time chief's position. But in March of 2010, Stanley was presented to the Board of Selectmen as then-Town Administrator Mark Andrews' choice for the permanent post.

He reportedly entered contract negotiations with the intention of leaving North Andover at the end of the summer of 2010, but negotiations over the terms of bringing him to Wareham dragged on — apparently over the issue of money.

Stanley's April, 2011, appointment came days after signs pressuring Selectmen to hire him began appearing all over town. The signs read: "We want Stanley or we want a recall." A recall is enacted to unseat an elected official between elections.

With a $166,000 per year salary, Stanley was likely among the top five highest paid police chiefs in Massachusetts at the time of his appointment.

Police chiefs in Brockton, Quincy, and Lowell at the time were paid roughly $120,000, $162,000, and $140,000, respectively.

The chief's base pay in Wareham is $132,800. He receives the remainder of the funds through the Mass. Quinn Bill, which allows police personnel to earn more money when they have completed degrees in higher education. According to his contract, the chief was eligible for a 3% merit increase in the second year of his contract. It is unclear if he received that increase.

His salary in North Andover was just over $133,000.

Stanley's contract with Wareham ends in May of next year, though the contract allows for a one-year extension, which is automatically put into effect if neither the town nor the chief provides written notice of their intention to renegotiate or not renew the contract.

If Stanley resigns voluntarily before the expiration of his contract, he must give the town 60 days notice in writing, and would be entitled to receive pay for any accrued, but unused, leave.