The field of candidates for Columbus police chief has narrowed to three, according to Mayor Keith Gaskin.
The police chief selection committee met Tuesday morning for about 50 minutes, entirely in executive session. After spending last week conducting interviews with the top eight contenders via Zoom, members picked three finalists for in-person interviews.
“We had an excellent committee and they all worked hard,” Gaskin said. “There was a consensus of the top three.”
He declined to comment on whether any of the four in-house candidates — including Interim Chief Doran Johnson — made the final cut, but he did say the city would release the names of the finalists in the near future.
“We could release those names as early as (today),” Gaskin said. “(Human Resources Director Pat Mitchell) will contact the finalists and get releases from them and then we will release the names.”
Mitchell said the next step was to set up in-person interviews with the three finalists.
“The next phase will include all of the council members, and will involve in-person interviews,” she said.
The process up to this point has been handled by a 10-person search committee. The members are: Gaskin, Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens, Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene, Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones, Chief Operations Officer Jammie Garrett, Mitchell, former Columbus Police Department Chief Pete Bowen, District Attorney Scott Colom, public defender Amanda Meadows and Civil Service Commission member Rita Felton.
Mitchell said the interviews would likely take place over the next month.
“We have to consider the out-of-state applicants and their ability to travel,” she said.
The city is replacing former chief Fred Shelton, who retired on Aug. 15. He announced his intention to retire on July 12, hours before a special-call city council meeting to discuss his job performance.
Columbus City Council appointed Johnson, the assistant chief, to serve as interim chief, effective Aug. 16. He said at the time he would apply for the permanent post, but city officials have not identified any applicants or finalists.
About 70 people applied for the post, and about 37 met minimum requirements.
Mickens credited the speed and smoothness of the process so far to the committee members.
“The committee did a great job,” he said. “It wasn’t the mayor and the council picking, it was the committee. (Bowen, Colom, Felton and Meadows) brought out stuff we didn’t see, and asked questions I didn’t know to ask. And we listened to them.”
Jones agreed.
“You’ve got people who aren’t making it about them, they’re making it about the search and the betterment of Columbus,” he said.
Mickens said the committee felt the importance of the decision.
“We know what’s at stake,” he said. “I’ve been up here since 2009, and this will be my sixth chief. That’s six chiefs in 13 years. We need to nail this one.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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