Pensacola residents have a chance to give their input on the search for the city’s next police chief during virtual community forums this week.
The forums will be held via Microsoft Teams this Wednesday at 10 a.m. and Thursday at 7 p.m.
Gary Peterson is with the firm Public Sector Search and Consulting, Inc., which is leading the national search for a new police chief. He says despite the pandemic, the forums are seeing strong engagement.
“There is a significant number of folks who will show up to these forums. It can range from 10 or 15 people to 40,” Peterson said.
Recruitment begins on February 1, with a social media campaign and outreach to candidates locally, regionally, and nationally.
“We think this is the right thing to do for our community to be sure that we identify the right candidate for us,” said Mayor Grover Robinson. “This focuses on finding the right person for our community and making sure we’ve checked everywhere across the country.”