Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced a plan to engage Richmond residents in the process of seeking a permanent replacement to succeed retired Richmond Police Department Chief Alfred Durham.

“Community engagement is one of the core functions of effective policing in our city,” said Mayor Stoney. “So it only makes sense that as I go about the business of finding a permanent replacement for Chief Durham, my administration seeks residents’ opinions and perspective on what they’re looking for in their next chief. We are going to conduct a national search, but we are going to listen to our residents and prioritize the input we receive in the community.”

The five-week public engagement period will commence with a series of public forums and community meetings sponsored by the City’s Department of Human Resources, as well as an online survey for residents to complete.

The meetings, which will be held throughout the city in each of its four police precinct communities are scheduled as follows:

Community Town Halls

February 6
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Southside Community Services Center
4100 Hull Street Rd. (2nd Precinct)

February 11
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Richmond Police Department Training Academy
1202 W. Graham Rd.
(4th Precinct)

February 13
11 a.m. to noon
Sarah Jones Garland Center
2600 Nine Mile Rd.
(1st Precinct)

February 21
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
First Baptist Church
2709 Monument Ave.
(3rd Precinct)
  
The survey can be found here, at richmondgov.com in the City News section.

The engagement is believed to be the first time in recent city history that feedback from the community has been formally solicited by a mayor as part of the hiring process for a new police chief. The city will conduct a national search.

Below is an approximate timetable for the hiring process:

February - March – Community engagement

March 10 - April 6 – Online application posted to richmondgov.com/HumanResources

April – Review and pre-screening of applications by City Dept. of Human Resources

May – Interviews of qualified applicants; selection of finalists to be interviewed by Mayor and CAO

June – Offer extended to top finalist; selection announced by Mayor

“Chief of Police is one of the most important jobs in any city government, requiring skills that go well beyond policing itself,” said Mayor Stoney. “I’m confident that this inclusive process will help us select not just a highly qualified law enforcement professional, but also the right chief for Richmond moving forward.”