Decatur has narrowed down its search for a new police chief to just one name.
Scott Richards, the department’s interim police chief, was named as the sole finalist to lead the police department, according to a news release. A final decision will be made by April 18, which is the City Commission’s next meeting.
Richards has been with the department since 1994, and he was promoted to deputy police chief in 2016. He’s served as the city’s top cop since Chief Mike Booker retired last April, ending his 15-year tenure as chief.
The release said Decatur “initiated an extensive national recruitment process” when Booker retired. The search began last July and was conducted with assistance from GovHR, a staffing company for governments and nonprofits, City Manager Andrea Arnold said during a Monday meeting.
She added that community members, city employees and stakeholders were surveyed and consulted throughout the search. Applications were collected in December, and candidates were whittled down through subsequent interviews and assessments.
“There was an all-day assessment center where a smaller group of candidates were put through real-life situations and scenarios, and judged by a team of public safety peers,” Arnold said.
However, it seems no other candidate topped their interim chief.
“I appreciate the patience of the commission and the community as we made sure this was an in-depth, thorough, far-reaching process to ultimately bring us here to finding the best person for this job,” Arnold said. “And that’s Scott Richards.”
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