NORFOLK, Va. — John Dore spends part of each year living in Norfolk.
“We love coming down here,” Dore said. “It just has a nice feel.”
One thing that's top of mind for him living in the Mermaid City is public safety.
“It's just a matter of getting control of drugs and crime, and making sure that the kids are safe,” he said.
Public safety is a key issue for Dore, especially with his city getting a new police chief.
News 3 asked Dore what he felt was most important for him when it comes to a new police chief in Norfolk.
“Leadership, rallying the troops, getting the most support they possibly can to keep the city safe,” he said.
This month marks one year since the search for Norfolk’s next chief began with the retirement of former NPD chief, Larry Boone, who's currently WTKR’s Law Enforcement Analyst.
“Together, we will identify the best individual to build upon the success of the past, and provide leadership for this department in the future,” Norfolk City Manager Dr. Chip Filer said in April 2022.
On April 6, 2022, Boone told Filer of his plan to retire. His retirement went into effect on May 1.
Filer said the search process for Norfolk's next chief started in late April when the city chose to go with a search firm.
In August, almost four months after Boone's retirement went into effect, the city announced that they chose the northern Virginia-based executive search firm, Morris & McDaniel.
"We are committed to doing a national search, and may the best man or woman win,” Dr. Filer said in September 2022.
During the search process, the city has sought input from residents on what they'd like to see in the next top cop.
After attracting a pool of roughly 40 applicants, last month, Filer said the city narrowed down its search to three finalists.
“We had a really strong pool of candidates,” Filer said.
Last summer, Filer said his goal was to announce a new chief by late November or early December.
In March, Filer explained the reason for the lengthy search.
“It was a really tight pool of candidates all with really strong qualifications, so I actually asked for an additional level of assessment to be done,” Filer said in March. “I just felt, from the resumes or even from just an interview, we were really having a hard time getting it whittled down. So, that has added about 8 more weeks to the process.”
The city also put together a search committee to review candidates with members stretching across Hampton Roads, including Hampton Chief of Police Mark Talbot.
“He kind of sees us from outside, and has this kind of different view for what would it take for someone to be successful here,” Filer said. “Watching him interact with the candidates during the interview process, it was a very different interaction than, say, my interaction, and it was very helpful.”
We reached out to Talbot to talk with him about being on the search committee for Norfolk’s next chief.
A spokesperson for Hampton Police said Talbot did not want to speak on this for our story. Talbot said it did not seem appropriate for him to do so.
Another member on the search committee is Alan Archer, Newport News' Deputy City Manager for Public Safety.
We reached out to the City of Newport News to talk with Archer about being on the search committee, but Archer declined to talk with us about this for our story.
RELATED: City of Norfolk narrows Norfolk Police Chief down to final 3, seeks public input
We also sat down with Richard James, who spent 27 years with Norfolk Police.
“It's not a position where you just take a test, and whoever scores the highest wins,” James said about searching for a new police chief. “There's a lot to it.”
James is also a longtime criminal justice professor.
We also asked James if taking roughly a year is not out of the ordinary when searching for a city’s new police chief.
“Not if you're looking for a good candidate. If you're just looking to fill the position, take three or four months. If you're looking for a good candidate, take your time,” James responded. “Police officers understand that it's a tough job that doesn't pay enough money. They do it because they want to do it. But, they also want to come to work with a chief [who] they believe [is] going to be fair and consistent.”
Last month, Dr. Filer said all assessments for the three finalists are finished, and there would be a final round of interviews with all three before a new Norfolk Chief of Police was named.
The city said Filer would make a final determination for the next chief later this spring.
Last month, Filer said his goal is to have a new chief named by the first week of April.
Last Friday, Norfolk's Interim Chief of Police, Michael Goldsmith, announced his plans to retire from the city after 34 years of service. His last day will be on April 14.
Goldsmith served as Chief of Police for Norfolk from 2012 to 2016 before moving to a new role as deputy city manager. He was named Norfolk’s Interim Chief of Police following the announcement of Boone’s retirement.
According to Norfolk’s Director of Communications, Chris Jones, an announcement of a new police chief is expected soon, and depending upon when that person is available to start, there’s a possibility another interim chief may briefly be in place.
RELATED: Norfolk Interim Chief of Police Michael Goldsmith to retire; Announcement on new chief expected soon
