Jacksonville’s mayor on Sunday identified the three finalists in the city’s search for a new police chief, a position that has been a source of controversy and uncertainty for the city over the past year.
The finalists include Christopher Chapmond, assistant police chief with the Hot Springs Police Department; James Jones, an out-of-state security and legal consultant; and James Bacon, a former Russellville police chief who now works at a security company. Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher identified the finalists in an interview Sunday.
City records show that 36 people applied for the position. The applicants had a wide range of experience — some were former and current police chiefs while others have not served in law enforcement for years.
Fletcher said the candidate pool was narrowed down to four applicants, but one candidate backed out of the hiring process.
Chapmond rose through the ranks of the Hot Springs Police Department and became assistant police chief in 2016, according to his application documents. He began at the agency in 1996 as a patrol officer and now, as assistant police chief, oversees more than 140 personnel and manages the annual budget, the documents show.
He received his bachelor’s degree in police administration from Columbia Southern University in Alabama and is currently attending the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, according to the application documents.
Jones, who spent decades with the Detroit Police Department, works for MVP Capital Ventures LLC as a security and legal consultant, performing security assessments on commercial and industrial properties, according to his application documents.
He received a masters of science in public administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor of science in cultural studies and criminal justice from Wayne State University, according to the application documents.
His application shows he began with the Detroit Police Department in 1986 as a patrol officer and, through the years, has served in the department as an officer, sergeant and lieutenant. His application shows he left the the Detroit Police Department in 2013 and began working at MVP Capital Ventures LLC the following year.
Bacon has served as police chief in three different departments, but now works as a national account manager for Allied Universal Security, his application shows. He is the only finalist to serve as police chief prior to applying.
According to his application, Bacon became police chief in White Hall in 2001 and stayed in the position for more than two years before becoming police chief in Russellville, where he served as police chief from September 2003 to October 2006.
He then became police chief in Nixa, Mo., where he remained in the position until November 2013, the application documents show. He began working at Allied Universal Security in May 2015.
“Currently employed, but I am seeking an opportunity to return to my life-long profession of law enforcement,” according to his application documents.
The city has had an interview with all of the finalists, Fletcher said. He said the city could have a new chief in the next “couple” of weeks.
Jacksonville began looking for a new police chief last month after the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that a past false-report conviction disqualified Geoffrey Herweg, the city’s former police chief, from serving in the position under the state’s constitution. Court records show Herweg pleaded guilty in 2002 to giving a false report to a police officer in Texas.
Herweg had been sworn in as Jacksonville’s police chief last April and served as chief until June, when a Pulaski County Circuit Court judge removed him pending the outcome of a lawsuit from Jacksonville City Council member Tara Smith.
Following the circuit court ruling, Fletcher appointed City Attorney Robert Bamburg as police director.
In another sign of turmoil for the city, five Jacksonville police officers earlier this month sued to remove Bamburg from the position. The suit argued that “chaos” ensued in the police department under Bamburg’s leadership and that Bamburg has retaliated for rank-and-file officers supporting Herweg’s removal.
According to the suit, state law prevents Bamburg from holding the position because elected officials are prohibited from simultaneously holding two city jobs and because Bamburg is not a police chief.
Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police has also cast a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Fletcher and Bamburg. The organization said the two men have shown an “inability” to lead the city’s Police Department.
In a termination letter sent to Herweg, Fletcher also commented on the Supreme Court ruling.
“As you know, I’m a man of emotions and feelings. This isn’t the outcome I’ve hoped and prayed for, and it saddens me more than I can say that we haven’t been successful in defending against this crazy lawsuit,” according to the letter.
“You know the real gist of the situation: I’ve got to make every effort to rectify the divisiveness in our City that’s been created by this litigation,” the letter reads. “The reality is clear: your continued employment with the City is not beneficial to you or the City.”
Metro on 04/23/2018