Annapolis seeks public input as nationwide search begins for next police chief
The City of Annapolis has launched a public survey and announced three interactive public-engagement sessions as it conducts a nationwide search for its next police chief.
The survey officially launched July 10 and is described by the city as the first step in the selection process. It asks participants to identify the professional experience they want the next chief to have and the public-safety priorities they believe should guide the city’s next police leader.
Residents, business owners, city employees and other community stakeholders have been invited to participate. The city said the feedback it receives will be used to evaluate applicants in the search.
Input focuses on qualifications and priorities
The public-input effort is centered on two parts of the search: the experience community members want to see in candidates and the public-safety concerns they want considered as the city reviews applicants.
By opening the survey, the city has created a formal way for participants to communicate views on the qualifications and priorities that should be part of the evaluation. The survey concerns the person who will lead the Annapolis Police Department.
The city’s announcement does not say that survey participants will choose the next chief. Instead, it says the community feedback will be used in evaluating applicants during the nationwide search.
Three sessions also planned
In addition to the survey, Annapolis announced three interactive public-engagement sessions. Those sessions are intended to give residents, businesses, employees and other stakeholders another opportunity to share input about the next police chief search.
The city did not provide dates, times or locations for the three sessions in the approved announcement. It also did not identify a finalist or announce a deadline for hiring the next chief.
Those details remain important because the city has begun a nationwide search rather than announced an appointment. No selected candidate is identified in the announcement, and the available information does not include survey results or attendance figures for the planned engagement sessions.
What happens next
The next confirmed stage is the collection of community feedback through the survey and the three announced sessions. According to the city, that input will be part of its evaluation of applicants.
The process will shape the selection of Annapolis’s next top police official while allowing community members and affected local groups to state what they want city officials to consider in a candidate. The announcement establishes the survey and public sessions as the current opportunities for public participation; it does not establish a timetable for a finalist or final hiring decision.
Sources
- Annapolis launches community survey for next police chief, City of Annapolis, Maryland