The City of Wichita has narrowed down its latest search for a new police chief to two candidates.
The two finalists are Gordon Ramsay, police chief in Duluth, Minn., and Jeffrey Spivey, assistant police chief in Irving, Tex., City Manager Robert Layton announced Friday.
The city had to re-open its search in September after months of deliberation when the finalist declined the job offer after reportedly being named a finalist for a different job. Layton said applications in the new search were due at the end of November.
Ramsay has 22 years of law enforcement experience and has been police chief in Duluth since 2006. Spivey has 28 years of experience and has been in his role in Irving since 2011, Layton said.
“Both have a tremendous amount of experience in law enforcement," Layton said at a press conference Friday. "They have both worked with body-worn camera policies and implementation, intelligence-based policing, extensive work in community policing and also have both been involved in strategic planning inside a police department.”
According to a press release, Ramsay:
- Heads a department with a $25 million budget and more than 200 employees;
- Has extensive experience in community policing and relationship building, and has worked with diverse groups including NAACP, American Indian Commission, Native Alliance, and African-American Men’s Group to create Duluth’s first police civilian review board;
- And graduated from the FBI National Academy (2005).
Spivey:
- Has won multiple awards while serving in diverse assignments of increasing responsibility;
- Served in investigations and narcotics, and served as division command of patrol and technical services and as Assistant Chief in charge of field operations and administrative services bureaus;
- Led technology acquisitions including body-worn cameras, and software for predictive policing, facial recognition, and e-citation;
- And graduated from the FBI National Academy (2013).
A forum will be held from 6 - 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 at Century II to allow the public a chance to meet both candidates. Residents can submit questions and concerns via Wichita.gov or through Activate Wichita.
Layton said a goal of hiring a new police chief by the end of 2015 still stands. Former Police Chief Norman Williams retired last September.
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