Aurora – City officials hope a week from today they will have a list of candidates who are seeking the city’s top police position.
The application deadline for police chief is July 15.
The position was vacated in March when then-chief Ricky Bennett stepped down amid a widening controversy over the department’s mishandling of the Brent J. Brents case.
Several departmental snafus delayed the arrest of Brents, who went on to rape and attack at least 10 women and children in the Denver area.
Bennett became a captain in the department, and Deputy Chief Terry Jones was appointed as interim chief. Jones, 51, will apply to be considered for the job, which pays between $95,398 and $131,414 a year.
Jones has been with the department for 26 years and was made deputy chief in 2002.
“I got a lot of faith in this agency,” he said. “If I don’t get the job, I am not going anywhere else.”
The department of about 600 officers is facing the challenges of a big-city police agency as well as an image problem that stems from allegations of racism and charges of use of excessive force. The city is considering adding a panel that would address any use-of-excessive-force issues.
“We have gone through a tremendous amount in the past few months,” Jones said. “I don’t ever remember this kind of attention from the media in the past.”
It’s too early to say how many people are expected to apply, said Regan Williams, vice president of Bob Murray & Associates, the California corporate headhunting firm contracted by the city for about $17,500 to conduct the search. He said most people turn in résumés at the deadline.
Williams visited Aurora recently to survey people and groups about qualities the ideal candidate should have.
“It gives us a hint what is important – honesty, integrity, someone who is approachable and has good speaking skills,” he said.
The information gleaned from those interviews was included in a brochure that went to about 125 police agencies throughout the country.
Williams anticipates about four to six finalists will be chosen by the end of August.
They’ll be formally interviewed through September, with a new police chief expected to be chosen at the end of September, said Deputy City Manager Frank Ragan.
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer may be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
