City Manager Announces Succession Plan for Chief of Police

Asheville Police Chief William Anderson announced Friday, November 14 his plans for retirement effective December 31. A recruitment process is underway for his replacement.

City staff expect to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) by the end of November for a high-quality professionally managed recruitment process that includes significant opportunities for community and employee involvement. With the successful consultant in place by February, the target start date for the new chief will be June 1, 2015.

A key deliverable for the consultant will include a comprehensive input process into preferred candidate characteristics for 1) leading the men and women of the Asheville police department and 2) sustaining and further growing the relationship between the police department and the community.

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“The recruitment process will coincide with ongoing, aggressive improvement efforts within the Asheville Police Department,” said City Manager Gary Jackson. “With many employees already engaged in implementing the APD strategic operating plan, we believe it is important to continue to support their efforts while also providing a reasonable timetable for identifying Asheville’s next police chief.”

Information currently being gathered in the organizational assessment by Matrix Consulting Group will be considered in the recruitment process. Final reports for both the assessment and the audit being conducted by Johnson Price Sprinkle Public Accountant into certification of radars will be made available for the incoming police Chief. Asheville Fire Chief Scott Burnette will continue to provide employee engagement expertise as police department employees continue to implement the department’s strategic operating plan.

In addition to his work with Police Chief Anderson, Fire Chief Scott Burnette will also work closely with the interim police chief who will be in place in enough time to maximize a smooth transition through and after Chief Anderson’s last day.