Residents to get chance to question police chief finalists
A public forum will be held Tuesday, May 21 from 4–5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber to give local residents the opportunity to hear from the three finalists for the police chief job.
Deputy Police Chief Kerr Putney of the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department; Deputy Police Chief Don W. Scott Jr. of the Greensboro Police Department; and Assistant Chief Barry Rountree of the Winston-Salem Police Department are the finalists, City Manager Lee Garrity announced yesterday.
Citizens will have 90 seconds to ask their question. Citizens who cannot attend can submit questions online at CityofWS.org, however, online submissions will be addressed only as time allows. Online questions must be submitted by 5 p.m. Monday, May 20.
The finalists were selected through a national recruitment process managed by Developmental Associates LLC of Chapel Hill. A diverse pool of 44 applicants from small and large police departments throughout the United States applied for the position. This applicant pool was narrowed down to the three finalists through interviews; a comprehensive assessment center process in which more objective, systematic and accurate methods are used to recruit, screen and evaluate candidates; and background reviews.
The forum will be televised live on WSTV 13, channel 13 TimeWarner Cable and channel 99 on AT&T U-verse.
Current Police Chief Scott Cunningham will retire at the end of June. The new chief will lead a department with 569 sworn officers and 166 civilian positions, and an annual budget of $61.6 million.
