Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley has announced the schedule for upcoming community meetings to gather resident input on priorities for hiring a new City of Annapolis Police Chief. The public is welcome to attend.
These community meetings, facilitated by community leader Bishop Craig Coates, will all be in Annapolis and begin promptly at 7 p.m.
- Meeting 1: Monday, March 25 at the Cook-Pinkney American Legion Post #141 (1707 Forest Dr)
- Meeting 2: Monday, April 1 at Eastport Fire Station (914 Bay Ridge Ave)
- Meeting 3: Tuesday, April 2 at “Pip” Moyer Recreation Center (273 Hilltop Ln)
- Meeting 4: Thursday, April 4 at Mt. Olive Church Community Center (2 Hicks Ave)
“The purpose of these meetings is for residents in all wards of the City to inform us as to what they want in a Police Chief,” Mayor Buckley said. “We want to go into the interview process with potential candidates where we can ask the kinds of questions that the people of our City feel are most pressing.”
Seven individuals were appointed in mid-March to become the interview panel as part of the hiring process for finding a new Chief for the Annapolis Police Department. The panel includes City Manager Teresa Sutherland along with Elizabeth Alex, Chuck Howard, Police Chief Lisa Myers, Lon Powell, Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Simmons and Rev. Stephen Tillett.
The Mayor and other key officials will be present at each community meeting. Once the selection criteria have been established through the community meetings and input from the interview panelists, the City will advertise the position.
The panel will then begin interviewing qualified candidates.
“I look forward to using this process to find the best fit for a Police Chief for our great City,” Buckley added. “The residents ought to have a voice in the qualities and qualifications of that person, whoever that should be.”
The search process for a new Chief will likely take 60 to 90 days.
