THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 1996 TAG: 9610010265
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 59 lines
Five finalists for the police chief's post - including one local candidate - have been told to just be patient.
Though the former department head left office four months ago, picking a new chief is proving more time-consuming than expected. Coordinating the schedules of a dozen people - including a panel of seven to interview the top candidates - is a monumental task, Personnel Director Marie Dodson said Monday.
After several earlier delays in the application process, city officials had hoped to interview the five by the end of September.
But as the month ended, the target date of Sept. 24 for beginning the face-to-face chats had been scrubbed. No new date has been set.
Meanwhile, city officials are not worried, Dodson said.
``One of the things we've got going for us,'' she said, ``is the acting chief is doing an admirable job.''
Neither she nor Maj. William A. Freeman, who has been at the helm of the 116-member department since July 1, would confirm whether he is among those being considered.
Originally, Freeman did not apply.
``As a result of being in this position, things could have possibly changed,'' he said Monday.
Freeman, a Suffolk native with 25 years' experience in law enforcement, did not meet all qualifications listed in the job posting.
It stipulates that the applicant have a degree from a four-year college or university with course emphasis in police administration, criminal justice or a related field. He or she must also have 10 to 15 years' experience in law enforcement with three to five years of major command responsibility.
Freeman, a graduate of the former Booker T. Washington High School, was head of Suffolk's uniform services division for three years before being promoted to major - or deputy chief - in January, but he holds no degree.
Former Chief Gilbert F. Jackson retired June 30, and Freeman was appointed acting chief by City Manager Myles E. Standish on July 1. Standish, who will make the final selection, said he hoped to name a permanent chief by the end of the month, though he was determined not to rush the filling of the important post.
More than 100 applicants from Canada and across the U.S. were initially screened by Municipal Advisors Inc. - a Virginia Beach consulting firm. They narrowed the field to about 10 and those candidates were ``interviewed'' by videotape in their current jobs.
The first glitch in setting an in-person interview date for the top five was finding a time when retired Judge James C. Godwin, one of the panelists, was available. Now, it's a matter of juggling all the schedules, Dodson said.
Besides Godwin, the interview panel includes the Rev. Carlton R. Upton, pastor of Tabernacle Christian Church; Commissioner of Revenue Thomas A. Hazelwood; Norfolk Police Chief Melvin High; Cindy Rohlf, assistant to the city manager; Dodson; and Standish.
Dodson said she hoped a new interview date would be set by the end of this week.
KEYWORDS: SUFFOLK POLICE DEPARTMENT by CNB