Search for New Police Chief Could Be Down to One
County Executive Marc Elrich might have a pick to be chief of police.
He’s just keeping the name to himself … for now.
In a Thursday letter to Elrich from Council President Nancy Navarro, she writes that Elrich wrote the council during the week saying he intends to nominate a woman to the position. Navarro’s letter notes that Elrich has not named the woman and she does not name her in her letter to Elrich.
News reports have said Tonya Chapman, former chief of Portsmouth, Va., was one of two finalists to lead the county’s 1,300-member police force.
The other finalist was Takoma Park Police Chief Antonio DeVaul. DeVaul removed his name from contention on Wednesday.
In Navarro’s letter, she writes that she plans to schedule the council interview of his nomination for police chief as soon as members return from recess in September.
“This is a very crucial appointment and councilmembers have shared with me their desire to be methodical and thorough in the discharge of their duty and responsibility in the appointment process,” the letter reads.
This is the entirety of Navarro’s letter:
Earlier this week, you wrote to the County Council sharing your initial intention to appoint a candidate as Chief of the Montgomery County Police Department. In your recent comments to the press, you have identified this candidate without mentioning her name. Also, members of the press have been in touch with me and have mentioned her name. Regardless, I await receipt of your formal letter confirming this individual as your choice. In the meantime, all councilmembers have your correspondence and will be reviewing it as well as doing their own research on the candidate.
This is a very crucial appointment and councilmembers have shared with me their desire to be methodical and thorough in the discharge of their duty and responsibility in the appointment process. In order to provide them the time they need to vet this candidate, and given their feedback and our shared interests, as I shared with your staff, yesterday, I will be scheduling the interview immediately upon our return from recess this September. In the meantime, councilmembers will provide all questions and concerns that they have and send them to Council staff Susan Farag for transmission to your office. I am hoping that the allotted time will enable your office to respond comprehensively to all of us. I am by copy of this memo asking councilmembers to provide all their questions and concerns in writing to Ms. Farag by August 15, 2019.
Councilmembers look forward to a productive and fair process as we work with you in getting the best candidate for our police force in these times. If you have any questions about this timeline and process, please feel free to contact me.
Councilmember Will Jawando was asked about the police chief Thursday morning at an event at Montgomery Community Media’s studios in Rockville. Here’s what he had to say:
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