Centerville panel narrowing list of police chief candidates

A three-member panel charged with recommending candidates for the Centerville police chief job expects to have a short list within two weeks.

Thirteen candidates are now under review by the panel.

Centerville Councilman Micheal Evans said he and other panel members, Perry police Chief Steve Lynn and Frank Strickland, campus police chief at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, plan to meet Wednesday.

"We are going to be getting together ... to sit down and compare notes, because we've all had an opportunity to review the applicants and to determine which ones are qualified based on education and experience," Evans said.

While the meeting is closed to the public, Evans said he expects the finalists to be made public before the council votes to name the new chief. State law requires disclosure of the final three candidates for a police chief's position before an appointment vote by the governing body.

Evans said a vote could come by mid-February, provided that council members are satisfied with the final list of candidates.

"That's my deadline, but I'm hoping something might happen sooner," Evans said.

The panel expects to interview candidates before submitting its short list to the council. He said it will be up to council members to decide how to proceed from there.

"We are working on getting this done, and we will make it happen," Evans said.

Leadership of Centerville's police force has changed several times in recent months.

Former Police Chief Sid Andrews stepped down in June. Following his departure, the assistant's chief's position was eliminated, leaving that person without a job. Then-Councilman Ed Tucker resigned from the council and was named director of police services. The council later decided that appointment wasn't working and abolished the position.

More recently, Houston County sheriff's Capt. Ronnie Harlowe temporarily shepherded the agency for 90 days under an agreement between Sheriff Cullen Talon and Centerville city leaders. Chuck Hadden, a Centerville police detective, was promoted from lieutenant to captain and placed at the helm temporarily while the search for a new chief continues.

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter@becpurser.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Centerville panel narrowing list of police chief candidates ."