City seeks consultant to help with police chief recruitment

The city of Asheville has put out a request for proposal seeking a consultant to help with the selection of the next chief of the Asheville Police Department. According to the proposal, the final police chief candidate will be chosen by January 2012. The expected cost of the consultant is not specified.

“This national recruitment process will ensure that we build public input into our process and that we have a highly qualified, diverse applicant pool,” City Manager Gary Jackson says in the announcement of the search.

The RFP details the search process. The consultant will get feedback from APD officers, conduct “community focus groups,” coordinate the recruitment process and evaluate the chief’s current compensation.

The city aims to recruit the consultant by July 29.

Chief Bill Hogan, who had occupied the APD’s top job since 2004, retired in April amidst controversy over missing evidence and a sexual harassment suit involving a still-employed APD officer. Capt. Wade Wood currently serves as interim chief.

— David Forbes, senior news reporter

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5 thoughts on “City seeks consultant to help with police chief recruitment

  1. Barry Summers

    I think the City should’ve put writing this RFP out for bids. Surely someone in the private sector could’ve done better.

  2. Albert E

    Will they have better luck hiring a police chief than they did a finance director? After over a year a three attempts they still never could get a qualified finance person to take the job. They’re still spending our tax dollars without competent oversight. Is more of this in store for the APD?

  3. LOKEL

    WE LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to pay beaucoup’s to an out of town consultant in this town ……

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