RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones is expected to name the city’s next police chief during a news conference Monday afternoon.
Ray Tarasovic, the city’s outgoing police chief, announced he was retiring in January. That news comes as no surprise since Tarasovic came out of retirement about two years ago to fill a void after the mayor gave the boot to the previous chief, Bryan Norwood, who was a last-minute hire by former mayor L. Douglas Wilder.
The mayor said during a news conference announcing Tarasovic's retirement that he anticipated being able to promote from within the Richmond Police Department.
“Whoever is going to be our chief has got to have a strong commitment to community policing. I might venture to say that we have not had some of the problems that other cities have had because of our connection to the community,” Jones said in January. “We are not looking to change courses, we are looking to make sure that we continue the same kind of progress that we have. And those persons are on the team. So that’s what we are looking to do, to keep this good thing going.”
Sources told CBS 6 News said the leading candidate is deputy chief Alfred Durham.
A number of possible candidates from the RPD took part in a community forumheld by Richmond City Council's Ellen Robertson on Saturday.
Charles Willis, an advocate with Citizens Against Crime, said that whoever gets the job must continue to build trust in the community.
“Picking a new chief is extremely important especially at this time because we have so many issues that we need to address,” Willis said.
Willis also pointed out that tomorrow’s announcement is important for the mayor. That's because it will be a big part of his legacy since he has just a few years left in office.
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