Port Orange, FL – 5 men have been chosen as the finalists to replace the head of the Port Orange Police Department.
Those finalists – Thomas Barry, Brian Browne, Thomas Grimaldi, Kurt Leibold and Mark McCrory – are all expected to be at a special public reception starting at 5:30pm Thursday at the Lakeside Center on City Center Circle in Port Orange.
City of Port Orange spokesman Kent Donahue says the reception is open to the public and will be the first part of a process that will also see each candidate interviewing with new City Manager Jake Johansson and the Port Orange City Council the following day.
Current POPD Chief Gerry Monahan Jr. is retiring in November after 16 years in charge and the new hire is expected to start a few weeks before Monahan leaves to ensure a smooth transition.
120 people applied for the job soon after Monahan’s retirement was announced in July, with the 5 finalists coming from that pool of candidates after the job posting closed last month.
2 of the finalists come from Florida. Barry is a Deputy Operations Chief for the Titusville Police Department while Browne is the Deputy Police Chief for the Largo Police Department.
The other 3 finalists are all from outside of the Sunshine State. Grimaldi is the current Police Chief of the Bristol Police Department in Connecticut. Leibold is an Assistant Police Chief for the Milwaukee Police Department in Wisconsin. McCrory is a long-time veteran of the Tulsa Police Department in Oklahoma.
The position oversees a nearly $12 million budget as well as 91 sworn officers, 3 sworn reserve officers, 17 non-sworn employees and over 40 volunteers who provide law enforcement and animal control services.
The POPD Chief reports directly to the City Manager, who will be making the ultimate call to hire with input from the POCC.
According to the city’s website, the full-time position pays between $100,000 to $122,998 annually, including benefits.
Anyone who wants more information on the POPD Chief selection process and the candidates can call the city at 386-506-5560.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.