Chief search whittled down

Candidates for the Portales Police Department chief position were narrowed down to eight finalists last week, according to Portales city manager Tom Howell.

Howell said he and Human Resource Department officials chose seven Portales residents and business leaders to be on the committee, which will decide who the winning candidate is for the position.

The starting annual salary for the position of Portales Police Department chief can range from $35,000 to $65,000, depending on the experience level of the new police chief.

Howell said after 35 people applied for the position, he and human resource officials narrowed the applicants down to eight, whose resumes they submitted to the committee.

"The committee met last week and were handed the resumes of the eight people we suggested they look at," Howell said Wednesday. "We meet again today and hopefully, we'll get more of a general consensus of where to go."

Howell said the resumes of the eight applicants, who come from New Mexico, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire and Oklahoma, are currently being reviewed by the committee.

He said if committee members feel dissatisfied with reviewing only eight applicant resumes, he will present them with more.

"Hopefully, eventually we can agree on five or six to bring in for interviews to bring some closure to this," he said, adding that he hopes they can be getting down to a final choice by mid-October, if not sooner.

"A lot of times, it doesn't work that way," Howell said of choosing a candidate within his chosen time frame. "Someone may look good on paper but after in-person interviews, we may want to explore more options."

Howell said the two biggest factors he and human resources officials looked at when narrowing down applicants to the most qualified was education, training and experience.

He said for out-of-state applicants, the committee will also have to look at their ability and timelines with being able to achieve their police officer certification in New Mexico.

"As we continue boiling it down, we want people with senior leadership skills and experience," he said. "We want to hire someone who is a good fit for the department and the community."