Girard to use new process to pick chief

By John w. Goodwin jr.

The selection process will begin later this month.

GIRARD — The city will use a new process to select its next police chief.

Safety Service Director Jerry Lambert said the city will use an assessment by the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to make the selection. In the past candidates would take a written exam with the highest scoring candidate getting the position.

Mayor James Melfi said the administration was introduced to the new selection process in a presentation from an Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police representative and liked what they heard.

“We recommended this to the civil service commission,” he said. “This looks at qualities of the candidate other than just taking a test.”

Kurt Latell, chairman of the civil service commission, said the commission decided to go with the new process after an hourlong meeting with a representative of the police chiefs’ organization.

Under the assessment process, Latell said, a three-person panel made up of association members will take each candidate for the position through an “in-depth” interview. The panel would pick the next chief.

“This isn’t a situation where the mayor can pick who he wants. The mayor has no discretion,” Latell said.

Lambert said that bringing in an impartial outside agency to make the selection and taking the city administration away from the process was a major consideration in going with the new selection method.

“I am almost certain that we have taken ourselves out of the picture. When the assessment process is completed, I believe we have agreed to go with their recommendation,” said Lambert.

The assessment team will not be entering the interview process blindly. Lambert said a representative of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police will meet with himself, the mayor and officers not seeking the chief’s position in order to get a feel for what is most needed in a police chief here.

According to Lambert, there are two captains in the department — John Villecco and Jeff Palmer — with enough service time to apply for the chief’s position. They each have a week to officially put a bid in for the position and take part in the assessment process.

Lambert said the process must be competitive; therefore, if both Villecco and Palmer do not seek the position, other officers who are not captains in the department will be permitted to take part in the process.

According to Latell, the assessment and selection process will begin Feb. 28.

Villecco has served as temporary chief of the department since former Chief Frank Bigowsky stepped down, as part of an agreement with city administration, in June. Bigowsky is now a captain in the department but cannot apply for the chief’s position because of the terms of his agreement to step down.

jgoodwin@vindy.com