A committee that will oversee the city’s search for a new police chief is slowly beginning to take shape.
The Columbus City Council agreed to form the committee to review applicants as the city searches for a successor to former chief Tony Carleton.
Carleton resigned on Nov. 12. He is currently working with Oxford Police Department’s training division.
The council agreed to create a police search committee to review viable candidates for the job after the city stops accepting applications on Dec. 14.
Human Resources Director Pat Mitchell said the city has received 10 applications so far. The position is being advertised with a salary range of $72,000 to $75,000.
The committee will consist of Mayor Robert Smith, Mitchell, Chief Operations Officer David Armstrong, Ward 4 councilman Marty Turner, Ward 3 councilman Charlie Box and councilman-nominated citizens from each ward.
Each councilman The Dispatch contacted Tuesday said they had or were planning to nominate a person for the committee.
Ward 1 councilman Gene Taylor said he recommended United Christian Church Pastor Steve James for Ward 1. Box said he recommended Lee Roy Lollar Jr. Turner said he recommended Caesar Sherrod. Kabir Karriem said he planned to recommend William Beckwith for Ward 5. Bill Gavin said he recommended Berry Hines for Ward 6. Ward 2 councilman Joseph Mickens could not be reached.
As the committee moves forward Turner said the most important thing in his eyes is that everyone has a say.
“Everybody’s got their vote and it counts,” Turner said. “Me being a councilman doesn’t mean I should supersede them.”
Box said the committee’s role will likely play out similarly to previous instances. He said he expects the city will get 30-50 applications, from which Mitchell and Armstrong will weed out those that don’t meet job requirements.
After that, Box said the committee will review the candidates and narrow the field.
“I think the last time we had 8-10 applications that the committee looked at,” he said. “We would evaluate those and narrow it down to four or five. We’d bring those four or five in to interview.”
The committee would ultimately have to recommend a candidate or candidates to the council — it does not have the power to hire a new police chief.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.