The four finalists to be the next Columbus police chief Elaine Bryant, Derrick Diggs, Avery Moore and Ivonne Roman will answer questions from the public during a 90-minute forum Wednesday.
The forum, which begins at 6 p.m., will be livestreamed on the city s YouTube and Facebook pages, as well as broadcast on CTV.
For the first time in the city s history, Columbus will hire from outside the city to lead the Division of Police.
Questions can be submitted in advance of the community forum by emailing policechiefsearch@columbus.gov.
The Dispatch reached out to all four finalists. Bryant is the only one who responded and spoke with The Dispatch, though the newspaper interviewed people familiar with most of the candidates.
Want to ask a question of finalists for Columbus police chief? Here s how: Bethany Bruner, The Columbus Dispatch
The public will have a chance to ask a question and hear from the finalists vying to be the next Columbus police chief.
An online public forum will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and will be streamed on the city s Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as aired on CTV.
The city plans to announce on Monday the finalists, who will be invited to participate in the public forum.
Questions for the candidates can be submitted in advance of the forum by emailing policechiefsearch@columbus.gov. Questions can also be asked during the online forum.
Robin Davis, communications director for Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, told The Dispatch Tuesday that interviews are being conducted this week with nine people from among 34 applications who applied for the position.
Ginther has said he hopes to have a police chief named by the end of May. Michael Woods continues to serve as interim chief on a supplemental contract after his retirement in April. He replaced former Chief Thomas Quinlan, who was asked to step down in late January.
Davis said interviews are being conducted this week by Ralph Andersen and Associates, the search firm hired by the city to conduct the chief search; Director of Public Safety Ned Pettus, city Human Resources director Nikki Brandon, Chief of Staff Ken PaulDeputy Chiefs of Staff Kate Pishotti and Kathy Owens, as well as Willard McIntosh, a member of the Civilian Review Board and retired Columbus police officer.