Citizen Input Sought On Next Police Chief Process

OCEAN CITY – City Manager David Recor gave an update last week on the chief of police selection process, including the request for citizens input.

“[Last month] we went live with a link on the city’s webpage that allows the public to submit a question, a suggested characteristic or attribute that they will like to see in the next chief of police for Ocean City,” Recor said.

The timeline to select the next chief is also posted on the city’s website, which is www.oceancitymd.gov.

“The recruitment is progressing and moving along just as we have discussed,” Recor said.

According to the timeline, in the past two months the national search for Ocean City’s new police chief was closed and the initial screening, first cut and written questionnaires were completed.

The questionnaires are now being evaluated, a second cut will be made, followed by phone interviews, a third cut and then reference checks.

During April and May, personal interviews will take place with a personnel panel and then a fourth cut will take place as finalists are moved forward. The Mayor and City Council will then interview the finalists followed by background investigations and finally a job offer. A chief of police will be appointed by June, according to Recor.

“We have received 86 applicants to respond to the initial recruitment. The first cut took that list down to 39. We then submitted a supplemented written questionnaire for those 39 candidates. We had 36 respond,” Recor said. “An internal panel, as well as an outside retired chief of police and city manager, will be assisting us with the second cut and then there will be a panel appointed by the Mayor and City Council, a member of the Police Commission, the city manager, the human resources director, and then two outside chiefs from the surrounding area that will recommend a group of finalists for the Mayor and City Council to interview.”