|
BFPD chief decision on hold until Monday |
|
February 9, 2012 |
After a discussion during Tuesday evening's
Bonners Ferry City Council meeting on hiring a
new Bonners Ferry Police Chief after a committee
unanimously approved offering the job to a Twin
Falls police sergeant, concerns raised prompted
tabling a decision until a special council
meeting on Monday, February 13.
The committee, comprised of Mayor Dave Anderson,
Council President Mike Klaus, and City Clerk
Kris Larson, interviewed four candidates,
including acting police chief Joel Minor, a 13
year BFPD veteran and assistant chief since Dave
Kramer retired and Rick Alonzo was promoted, and Randy Tremble, formerly a
reserve police officer and now a member of the
Bonners Ferry Fire Department, before
unanimously agreeing to offer the job to Steve
Benkula, a staff sergeant with the Twin Falls,
Idaho, Police Department.
At Tuesday's meeting, councilman Rick Alonzo,
who retired as Bonners Ferry Chief of Police
December 31 to assume his seat on the council,
pointed out that the selected candidate did not
meet the requirements posted in the vacancy
announcement for the job, which required at
least three years' experience as a police
lieutenant.
City attorney Tim Wilson advised that the
announcement could be re-worded to fit Benkula's
rank, however, in most cases where such a change
is made, the vacancy must be reposted and the
process start again from the beginning to allow
potential candidates who would now be qualified
under the new criteria to make application so as
to be compliant with municipal personnel policy.
While city leadership arrived at the decision,
approval from the city council is required to
fill the vacancy.
Monday's special meeting takes place at 5 p.m.
in council chambers at City Hall. |
|
|
|
|
