As the search for a new police chief intensifies, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said county leaders plan to host a community forum to discuss policing to help mold candidate interviews and create a picture of what improvements residents hope to see.
The county has received about 20 applications for the position vacated by longtime chief J. Thomas Manger earlier this month, and Elrich said Wednesday that a community forum has tentatively been set for June 6 for residents to discuss what works well in Montgomery County, and what can be done better.
“We’re going to use that to inform us on how to do interviews with candidates and hopefully candidates will then have a better idea of what the community is looking for,” Elrich said. “I want a police chief who knows what the expectations are pretty clearly. I don’t want to change expectations for somebody after they’re on the force.”
Details about the forum are being worked out and more information will be released when available, Elrich said. He said it’s possible applicants would be available to answer questions during the event.
The chief will oversee the 1,300 member department that was under Manger’s advisement for 15 years, and County Council members have been adamant that the hiring process should include community members, especially minority and LGBTQ communities that are susceptible to hate-based crimes.
In previous interviews, Elrich has said a “wide variety of people” will be involved in the selection process, and finding a minority or female candidate would good, but he would not “pre-narrow” the search.
At a Wednesday news conference, Elrich said he believes the police chief is one of the most important leaders because of the level of interaction police have with residents. He said the chief will be instrumental in building community trust.
“I think this is one of the most critically important appointments we make,” he said. “We have to get this dead right.”
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
