Mayor Seeks Community Input on Selection of Next Richmond Police Chief
Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced a plan to engage Richmond residents
in the process of seeking a permanent replacement to succeed retired Richmond
Police Department Chief Alfred Durham.
“Community engagement is one of the core functions of effective policing
in our city,” said Mayor Stoney. “So it only makes sense that as I go about the
business of finding a permanent replacement for Chief Durham, my administration
seeks residents’ opinions and perspective on what they’re looking for in their
next chief. We are going to conduct a national search, but we are going to
listen to our residents and prioritize the input we receive in the community.”
The five-week public engagement period will commence with a series of
public forums and community meetings sponsored by the City’s Department of
Human Resources, as well as an online survey for residents to complete.
The meetings, which will be held throughout the city in each of its four
police precinct communities are scheduled as follows:
Community Town Halls
February 6
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Southside Community Services Center
4100 Hull Street Rd. (2nd Precinct)
4100 Hull Street Rd. (2nd Precinct)
February 11
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Richmond Police Department Training Academy
1202 W. Graham Rd.
1202 W. Graham Rd.
(4th Precinct)
February 13
11 a.m. to noon
Sarah Jones Garland Center
2600 Nine Mile
Rd.
(1st
Precinct)
February 21
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
First Baptist Church
2709 Monument
Ave.
(3rd
Precinct)
The survey can be found here, at richmondgov.com in the City
News section.
The engagement is believed to be the first time in recent city history
that feedback from the community has been formally solicited by a mayor as part
of the hiring process for a new police chief. The city will conduct a national
search.
Below is an approximate timetable for the hiring process:
February - March – Community engagement
March 10 - April 6 – Online application posted to richmondgov.com/HumanResources
April – Review and pre-screening of applications by City Dept. of Human
Resources
May – Interviews of qualified applicants; selection of finalists to be
interviewed by Mayor and CAO
June – Offer extended to top finalist; selection announced by Mayor
“Chief of Police is one of the most important jobs in any city
government, requiring skills that go well beyond policing itself,” said Mayor
Stoney. “I’m confident that this inclusive process will help us select not just
a highly qualified law enforcement professional, but also the right chief for
Richmond moving forward.”