|
|
|
Having received results of a canvass of potential candidates for the police chief position, the Frankfort Village Board has set a meeting to discuss its options for the next step, according to village officials.
The village board will meet June 24 at 6:30 with county Personnel Officer Steven Billings, said Karlee Tamburro, village clerk. Because the meeting involves the position of current police Chief Steven Conley, much of the discussion is anticipated to take place in executive session, she added.
Mayor Frank Moracco could not be reached Tuesday.
The meeting comes less than a month after village officials approached Billings to request assistance in finding eligible police chief candidates. The county Personnel Department then sent out canvass letters to six candidates.
Three of the candidates have since returned their acceptance letter prior to the deadline, including:
• Scott Beach, a former Little Falls police officer and one-time adjunct professor of police organization and management at Herkimer County Community College.
• John Brucker, a retired Utica police officer, according to the Utica OD, and current Newport councilman.
• James Goldsmith, a retired Utica police officer who also worked part-time with Frankfort police, the Utica OD reported.
But Brucker’s acceptance is restricted due to the expiration of his classification from a state Division of Criminal Justice Services course, according to Billings. The course allows a police chief to make arrests and serve in a non-administrative capacity, which is a requirement of the Frankfort Police Department’s position, he said.
The status of Brucker’s acceptance may mean the village board will be able to consider a candidate who is not on the canvass list.
As set in the process, the village must choose from the mandatory eligible list if three of the candidates accept, according to Billings. But less than three acceptance letters allows the village to include in the process any candidates that pass the next police chief exam.
If Brucker is able to take the course before the village board decides to act on the list; however, the mandatory eligible list is once again applied, Billings said. The canvass list does allow the village to hold off until next year on a decision on whether or not to replace Conley, he added.
Brucker did not return a call Tuesday.
While the search for candidates seems to be moving forward, the future for the current police chief is still unclear.
Accused of assault, intimidation, and several other offenses linked to two separate incidents involving a fellow village police officer and county coroner, Conley is also named in several lawsuits against the village, including two that were filed by a village resident who was found not guilty of charges related to confrontations that involved Conley.
But village officials, along with their legal representation, remain silent on the police chief search and its possible role in the lawsuits filed against the village, Conley and other village officials.
Having received results of a canvass of potential candidates for the police chief position, the Frankfort Village Board has set a meeting to discuss its options for the next step, according to village officials.
The village board will meet June 24 at 6:30 with county Personnel Officer Steven Billings, said Karlee Tamburro, village clerk. Because the meeting involves the position of current police Chief Steven Conley, much of the discussion is anticipated to take place in executive session, she added.
Mayor Frank Moracco could not be reached Tuesday.
The meeting comes less than a month after village officials approached Billings to request assistance in finding eligible police chief candidates. The county Personnel Department then sent out canvass letters to six candidates.
Three of the candidates have since returned their acceptance letter prior to the deadline, including:
• Scott Beach, a former Little Falls police officer and one-time adjunct professor of police organization and management at Herkimer County Community College.
• John Brucker, a retired Utica police officer, according to the Utica OD, and current Newport councilman.
• James Goldsmith, a retired Utica police officer who also worked part-time with Frankfort police, the Utica OD reported.
But Brucker’s acceptance is restricted due to the expiration of his classification from a state Division of Criminal Justice Services course, according to Billings. The course allows a police chief to make arrests and serve in a non-administrative capacity, which is a requirement of the Frankfort Police Department’s position, he said.
The status of Brucker’s acceptance may mean the village board will be able to consider a candidate who is not on the canvass list.
As set in the process, the village must choose from the mandatory eligible list if three of the candidates accept, according to Billings. But less than three acceptance letters allows the village to include in the process any candidates that pass the next police chief exam.
If Brucker is able to take the course before the village board decides to act on the list; however, the mandatory eligible list is once again applied, Billings said. The canvass list does allow the village to hold off until next year on a decision on whether or not to replace Conley, he added.
Brucker did not return a call Tuesday.
While the search for candidates seems to be moving forward, the future for the current police chief is still unclear.
Accused of assault, intimidation, and several other offenses linked to two separate incidents involving a fellow village police officer and county coroner, Conley is also named in several lawsuits against the village, including two that were filed by a village resident who was found not guilty of charges related to confrontations that involved Conley.
But village officials, along with their legal representation, remain silent on the police chief search and its possible role in the lawsuits filed against the village, Conley and other village officials.
