The city of Salisbury continues the process to find a new chief of police. The planning for the Salisbury Chief of Police search started before the retirement of the former chief in December 2022. Our top priority is to hire the most qualified individual to lead the Salisbury Police Department. Key factors in a successful search and selection process will be a highly-qualified, diverse pool of applicants; input from the community and the police department; and thorough screenings of applicants by Salisbury staff, community stakeholders and the search consultant.
We began the Salisbury Chief of Police search with an internal survey within the police department. The survey was an opportunity for those who work on the front lines to share their input on the Salisbury Chief of Police search. We also hired a search consultant, Merl Hamilton, who has over 30 years of law enforcement experience and previously served as a chief of police.
City Council and the city manager have prioritized engagement and transparency as part of the chief selection process. Community meetings and stakeholder discussions about the Salisbury Chief of Police search were held during the months of March and April with the NAACP, at City Hall, Salisbury Rotary, Downtown Salisbury Inc., Police Chief’s Advisory Board, Salisbury Police Foundation, Livingstone College, Rowan-Salisbury Schools, and with Latino business owners through the Rowan Chamber. During those meetings, the search process was discussed and City Council and the city manager sought input on specific experiences, characteristics, and priority areas for the new chief. Input was also received on questions to be asked of applicants for the position.
In addition to community engagement, all police department sworn and non-sworn employees were given the opportunity to express their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and opinions freely to the city manager and human resources. The responses and questions, shared both by the community and the department, were utilized to develop qualifications and priorities stated in the hiring brochure for this position. They also will be used to develop the questions that will be asked during the interview and selection process.
The application period for the Salisbury Chief of Police opened Wednesday, April 5, 2023 and closed on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The city recruited nationally for this position. The search consultant also aided in the search, promotion, and recruitment efforts of applicants through professional resources and networking opportunities once the application period opened in April.
The job announcement (Salisbury Chief of Police search brochure) was posted on the following websites:
- City of Salisbury
- International Association of Chiefs of Police
- International City/County Management Association
- National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
- NC Law Enforcement Women’s Association
- National Latino Peace Officers Association
- NC Police Executives Association
- NC Law Enforcement Accreditation Network
- Indeed
- LinkedIn
- NC League of Municipalities
Now that the application period is closed, human resources, the city manager, the search consultant, and other city staff will evaluate applications. Next, community stakeholders, city staff and the search consultant will meet to discuss and screen qualified candidates through virtual interviews. The goal of this screening step is to select top candidates to move forward to the in-person interview and assessment phase.
Once, the finalists are selected from the screening, in-person interviews and assessments will take place, utilizing the input received during the public engagement forums. This stage will include several interview panels that will evaluate candidates. Community members, former and current law enforcement leaders, city staff and the search consultant will serve on the panels. The search consultant will also evaluate the finalists’ background checks and review social media accounts to aid in the selection.
City Council has been involved throughout the search process providing guidance and engaging with the community. Council will meet with the final candidates to discuss community priorities.
A total of 26 applications were received for this position. The applicant pool is diverse. Additional details regarding the applicant pool demographics will be released as the process continues.
As previously discussed, the goal of this process is to announce the new Salisbury Chief of Police in the summer.
Community members are invited to share their thoughts on the Salisbury Police Chief search process by contacting Anne Little at anne.little@salisburync.gov or (704) 638-5218 or Jim Greene at jim.greene@salisburync.gov or (704) 638-5227.
To view the hiring brochure, visit http://ow.ly/xIVw50OmZib