Pikeville starts search for new chief
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on January 22, 2015 1:46 PM
PIKEVILLE -- Town commissioners will be interviewing five candidates to fill the vacant police chief position Friday.
The board will meet in a closed session to speak with each of the five potential hires.
Mayor Glenn Hartman said he hopes the interviews will present the board with a viable candidate to fill the position, which has been vacant since the end of October.
The person who is chosen must also be vetted through the North Carolina Department of Justice's Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.
The commission, created to establish minimum requirements for criminal justice officers, will examine the credentials of the selected candidate and make their recommendation to town officials before the official hiring process can begin.
"Hopefully when we interview on Friday, the board will be able to make a decision," Hartman said.
A police chief should be sworn in by the end of February or the beginning of March, he said.
Hartman also said that besides the standardized credentials, an appropriate hire will be prepared to work in a small town environment.
"We are looking for someone suited to serve in a small town like Pikeville," Hartman said.
Hartman could not say how much the board would offer as a salary for the potential new chief.
The chief's salary comes out of the police department budget, and the board has yet to determine the next fiscal year's monetary allotment to the police department from the town's coffers.
The former police chief, Tucker Pascal, made around $35,000 a year.
The vacancy was left after Joe Sadler resigned in late October for "personal reasons."
Sgt. Eva Scott is currently serving as interim police chief until a replacement can be found. She has also submitted an application to fill the position.