INC NEWS - New Police Chief ZTo Be Announced Today @ 11AM

[RW Pickle]

What:              Press Conference Announcing Next Police Chief for the
City of Durham

Who:               City Manager’s Office

When:             Thursday, July 19, 2007, at 11 a.m.

Where:            City Council Chambers

                        101 City Hall Plaza, 1st Floor

                        Durham, N.C. 27701

Fast Facts

·         During today’s press conference, City Manager Patrick W. Baker
will announce that Jose L. Lopez, Sr. will be the next police chief for
the City of Durham.  Lopez will be present for today’s announcement.

·         Lopez will begin his new position with the City effective
September 1, 2007.  His annual salary will be $125,000.  He was selected
following a seven-month search process that included a public forum. 

·         Prior to accepting the police chief position with the City,
Lopez has been the assistant police chief in Hartford, Conn. since 2006. 
Prior to this position, he served as the deputy chief of the Hartford
Police Department’s South Division from 2006-2005.  He has also served as
captain, lieutenant, sergeant and patrol officer in Hartford, Conn. from
2005-1983; investigator for the New Jersey Department of Law and Public
Safety from 1983-1982; and as a military police officer in the United
States Air Force at Barksdale Air Base, Bossier City, La. from 1980-1976.

·         Lopez holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor
in political science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York,
NY.  He is also a graduate of the 183rd Session of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation National Academy, Quantico, Va.; the Supervisory Leadership
Course at Tunxis Community College’s Criminal Justice Command Institute,
Farmington, Conn.  Lopez is currently a candidate in the Public Policy
Master’s Program at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn.

Police Chief Search Process:  Background Information

·         The City of Durham initiated the search process for the next
police chief in December 2006.  Also during that time, the city manager
began meeting with Durham Police Department staff to gather the
departmental input on what qualities they want in their police chief. 

·         Ads were also placed in local papers of The Herald-Sun and The
News & Observer.  Ads also appeared on the City’s website as wells as
International City/County Management Association (ICMA), International
Association Chiefs of Police (IACP) and North Carolina League of
Municipalities (NCLM) websites.  Ads were also placed in the ICMA, IACP
and NCLM magazines/newsletters.

·         Approximately 60 applications were received from candidates
interested in the police chief position.  The City’s Department of Human
Resources reviewed the applications and narrowed the field to 28.  The
city manager and the two deputy city manager narrowed the field to 12. 
The City’s Department of Human Resources then selected five candidates
that were either selected by the city manager and the two deputies or were
selected by the city manager and one deputy.

·         The five candidates went through an assessment center on May 18,
2007.  The assessment center activities were interviews by a panel of City
directors and two regional police chiefs, interviews with the city manager
and his two deputies and a written exercise.  All activities were
developed to gather information on the candidates’ knowledge, skills,
experience, and abilities.

·         From the assessment center, three finalists were chosen.  Prior
to the three finalists participating in the June 5, 2007 public forum,
they also met with DPD command staff and other police personnel, the
Durham City Council, the local media, and representatives from the
Inter-Neighborhood Council of Durham and all five Partners Against Crime
(PAC) districts.  In addition, each finalist participated in a Justice
Panel interview, with members from Durham’s law enforcement and judicial
community, as well as participated in a city-wide bus tour.